Fantasy West
by grieverwings
Summary: Squall is the wanderer, and Rinoa the wealthy ranchowner and former general's daughter. Slowly, they fall in love, but a new threat seems to be popping up as the seconds tick by... Can two different people save the newfound West? Completed!
1. Meeting

It was quiet, peaceful. It was unusual for this town, way out in the barren desert. As the sun slowly set past the flat landscape, there were more tumbleweeds than people roaming the streets, simply because of one building. The 'Siren's Saloon' was the most popular place to be during the evening, and if you weren't there past sunset, you were at home. Naturally, the hours of darkness were quite busy for one young woman running the bar. She was busy almost day and night, either preparing or executing the routine of evening work. Her soft green eyes and brown hair flipped up slightly at the edges made her look more approachable, and she was always there for a drink or a chat. A yellow dress that went down to her ankles covered her brown boots, and she always had a pocket in her skirt for a weapon. No one could trust the streets, or people in a bar. That night, one man walked in, black travelers cloak hanging about him loosely. His black clothing almost blended in with the shadows, and his brown hair was shadowed in a hood. He pulled the hood down after sitting down in a chair and looked at the barmaid with his piercing grey eyes.

"Hey, Squall; what are you here for? Thought you'd be on your way out by now," the girl said, pouring a drink into a spotless mug and passing it to him. He picked it up and drank slightly before setting it down again and stretching out, relaxing as long as he could.

"I got caught up, this place holds a lot of memories for me," he said quietly. The barmaid nodded and went back to her spot in the far end of the bar, chatting silently with a few customers. Squall looked around the bar. He was considered the wanderer, the one no one wanted to be around. He was always moving on, always roaming from town to town. However, this town seemed to have him rooted to one spot. He had so many memories here from his early childhood. His family history also registered here, and he found it fascinating to read about those he had never known. Squall had been an orphan, mother dying and father not there. After a long search that had triggered his desire for wandering, Squall had found his dad in a town, but not just a citizen, the mayor himself. Content with knowing where he came from, Squall had taken hold of his new-found wanderlust and traveled from town to town, occasionally doing odd jobs to keep money in his pocket.

"It's on the house! Stay for a while, Squall!" the barmaid called. Squall sighed. That girl had eyes like a hawk, and she had caught him trying to slip money onto the table and sneak out quietly. He stretched out once more, fingering his sword slightly. He had modified it himself, combining a clunky sword and a gun into one by attaching a mini-barrel to the side of the blade. It could now be used as a gun and a sword, a combination he liked to call a "gunblade." For money, many years ago, he had created a few different models of the gunblade and sold them for a while, but after his materials started running low, he closed that business. His eyes swiveled around the bar, and he caught sight of a man, swerving slightly at the table.

"We -hic- need more of these -hic- drinks at -hic- the bank," the man slurred, and put his elbows on the table. "I mean, -hic- this could be -hic- a brand new -hic- cheese!" With that, the man slumped over on the table, muttering about cows and their outrageous demands recently. Squall smirked slightly; that was the local banker, a blonde fist-fighter who had settled down enough to pick up a stable job. "Hey, Sierra? Bring me another one of them whatcha-majiggers," he was able to mutter loud enough for the owner to hear.

"That's Selphie, stupid," she said, walking over with a glass. She slapped him upside the head as she set it down, walking back.

"What was he talking about?" a man asked her, touching her arm slightly to catch her attention. Selphie laughed and motioned a thumb behind her.

"Zell was talking about cows and their delivery payments." The saloon erupted with laughter, and Zell lifted his head slightly.

"Wazzat you said? Sows had their converting maid hit?" Zell said. Even Squall cracked a smile as he put his boots onto the chair besides him. He looked at his glass and realized that it was empty. Before he could say anything, Selphie appeared besides him and put a new one down.

"Hey, Squall, there's someone I want you to meet!" she said happily. Squall looked at her with a confused smile on his face.

"Me? Meet your friends? Look, I'm not staying here for long," he started, but she grabbed his arm, yanking him off the chair. As he let her drag him through the room, she stopped suddenly, making him run into her back.

"Squall, this is Quistis!" The name-sake lifted her head from a stack of parchment and nodded slightly. Her small rimmed glasses covered her blue eyes, and a pink simple dress showed her thigh-length black boots. Strawberry-blonde hair fell into her eyes as she looked back down at her papers. "And this," Selphie paused for emphasis, "This is Rinoa!" A girl sat with her back to Squall, but turned around at the mention of her name. Squall's eyes slightly widened as he looked this new girl up and down.

Her black hair shone in the lamplight, her chocolate brown eyes fixed on his. Her long blue dress spread out at her ankles, and she had simple lace-up shoes black in color. A small pendant hung around her neck. As Squall looked closer, he realized it was a circlet of silver, shaped like a ring. She extended her hand and Squall reached to shake. Just as their hands met, the doors banged open.


	2. Cowboy

_OK, chapter two! Thanks to the people who reviewed (so far 1), and my friend who thinks this is the best story I've written yet! Thank you!_

_Pvt Webster- Thanks for your opinion, glad you think that!_

_Chapter two, here we come!_

Chapter Two: Cowboy

A man stepped in, a long trench coat glistening in the light from the lamps. His long red hair was swept back into a loose ponytail, and he sported a black hat, pushed down slightly over his eyes. The rest of his wardrobe was standard issue for a cowboy, except for his long rifle resting in his hands. It had obviously been modified to fit this cowboy's style. The bar-goers waited to see if this new face was a threat or a friend, and stared apprehensively at his gun. Squall didn't feel threatened. If this man posed a threat to him, he'd take him out with his gunblade. Plain and simple, one bullet to the neck.

"Irvine! You're here!" Selphie called out. The woman ran out from her station beside Squall and enveloped the unsuspecting man in a giant hug, capable of only her. The cowboy laughed and patted her slightly on the back, warm grey eyes hidden by his gigantic hat.

"Yeah, thought I'd stop by, after we rounded up that cattle for a Mr. Caraway," he replied, and the bar regained its busy and loud stature. Selphie let go of Irvine and walked away to get him a drink. Irvine, in the meanwhile, had immediately begun to socialize with a group of women. Squall, after watching him with amazement, wondering how he could stand to be around so many females at once, realized that he still had his hand in the girl's, frozen in the handshake. Quickly, he pulled away, embarrassed at having such close contact with another person.

"Like Selphie said, I'm Rinoa Heartily," she said, apparently not even worried about their frozen shake. Squall nodded once more and stood awkwardly. The girl… Rinoa… seemed to be slightly frightened at the closing silence. The school teacher, Quistis, looked up from the papers once more and sighed exasperatedly.

"Sit down, please, before she has a heart attack." Reluctantly, Squall sank into a seat as far as possible from the two women while still sitting at the table, which wasn't very far.

"So… you own a ranch?" he said, throat parched. He wasn't used to all this conversation; people normally ignored him. Rinoa nodded and looked at her ring thoughtfully.

"I don't own it… my… Mr. Caraway does." Squall nodded and turned. Why was he sitting here? Why wasn't he out of this town?

"Oh, don't be silly, Rinoa. Her father is Mr. Caraway." Squall looked at her once more. If her name was Rinoa Heartily, then why was her "father's" last name Caraway? Squall decided not to press questions.

"Thank you for your company," he said, getting to his feet as quickly as possible. Squall bowed slightly, left a tip for Selphie on the counter, and swept up his hood. With one last look at Rinoa, he began to stride out of the bar. At the door, he pushed it open, just as someone tried to come in the same way. The hands met on either side of the door at the same time, locking the door in place. Squall's eyes rose from the ground and looked the person opposite him in the eye.

"Move it, kid," the man said. He had blonde hair, sticking up from his head. Grey eyes, hinting malicious thoughts, seemed to pierce daggers through Squall, and a white trench-coat with red crosses on the sleeves. His clothes were baggy, loose, as if he hadn't had a proper meal in a long time. Squall suppressed a shudder. However dangerous this man looked, he would not back down. Their eyes held for at least half a minute, and then the man had taken enough. With a single kick of his boot, he had sent the doors flying open, pushing Squall out of the way. As he looked at the man's demeanor, he recognized him as a customer from three years ago. Sure enough, in the man's hand was a gunblade model from the early days. He strolled over to the far end of the bar, where he had met Quistis and Rinoa. Rinoa and Quistis stood, Rinoa looking fearful but Quistis stiff as a board.

"What do you want?" Quistis asked. The man laughed and shoved her out of the way. He took a step towards Rinoa, the whole bar frozen in fear. As he continued to advance, the door banged open once more, and a black man, donned in ripped clothing and pants, holding a staff. Next to him was a young girl, white hair and an eye-patch covering one eye, with complete blue clothing, holding a pinwheel-like weapon.

"Hey, ya done yet, Seifer?" the male asked. "It was getting boring out there, ya know."

"AFFIRMATIVE," the female said, apparently having limited speech. Seifer laughed and touched Rinoa's arm. She yanked it away, and he looked around.

"Don't worry, Raijin, Fujin. Now, listen here, people," he said, addressing the people attending the bar. "You'd better give me your gold, jewelry, that kind of thing." Squall didn't like his tone… like it was all a joke. He was about to approach him, but the next action stopped him. With reflexes like lightning, Seifer had positioned himself behind Rinoa and had grabbed her arm, holding the gunblade to her neck. "Either that or everyone gets a first-hand look at what Miss Caraway's head looks like from the inside."

**ACK, nooo! Heh, didn't know Seifer'd be like that… Whatever, I write the story, deal with it. Updated soon, again thanks to the people who supported me! Please review, I want to know if I can do better, plus I like to be praised. Just kidding! Lol**

**-greiverwings**


	3. Rescue and Robbery

_Chapter three! Thanks again, and I've decided to break away from the story slightly (I know, Seifer and Rinoa, that whole thing), but it's like in those movies: FLASHBACK! They come at the weirdest points in stories or movies, so here we go! Thanks for the reviews!_

_Ej- Thanks for your advice, that's why I decided this'd be a good place for a flashback, so thanks for your inspiration!_

_Read on!_

Chapter 3: Orphanage

Squall stood at the edge of the flower field, as far as he and the other children were allowed to go. His eyes scoured the distant horizon for any signs of his beloved "Sis". Not being able to see anything, he sighed slightly and walked back towards the rickety building constructed from stone, unusual for the time and point. He caught sight of a distant figure calling someone's name.

"Squall! Squall Leonhart, where are you?" the voice called. Squall broke out into a run, covering as much distance as he could on his short legs. When he finally reached the figure, he latched himself onto the unsuspecting woman's legs. His tears soaked her black dress and hair, and she bent over to envelope him in one of her special hugs.

"Sis is gone! She's gone for good!" he wailed, taking breaths between sobs. She patted his back, whispering words of encouragement. "Was it my fawlt, Matwon?" he asked, looking at her with his grey eyes, having not yet felt enough pain for them to become cold.

"Oh, no, honey, it wasn't you at all. She left for… her own reasons," she said, concealing the disapproval in her voice. A voice called to her, and she stood up, leaving Squall to wipe his tears. With one more hand patting his head, she walked off to attend to this stranger. As the adults spoke, Squall looked up at the skies, and noticed for the first time that it was cloudy, and beginning to rain. He watched the other children frolic in the rain, and one girl began to shout war cries. He knew they were playing war again, but he didn't care. It used to be his favorite game… when Sis was around. He continued to stare, but he began to mutter.

"Sis… where are yoo? Don't choo like me anymore?" His tears became mingled with the rain, and he began to imagine life without her. "I'll be okay…" he told himself more than her. Squall continued to watch as the others pretended to shoot each other. One young boy grabbed a smaller boy and held an imaginary sword to his throat, pretending to take a hostage. Squall's eyes widened at the horrendous portrayal of hatred that he had formerly considered a game. He then realized: war was not a game.

The scene before his eyes ended, and Squall found himself once more seventeen, once more standing in a pub watching a man threaten the life of a young girl. He didn't know why he was calling her young; she couldn't be older than he was. People began to give up their jewels, golden nuggets that were hanging loose in pockets, and eventually a weapon or small knife if the person was too poor to give anything else. Seifer's eyes gleamed as one woman put a golden ring in the sack. Finally, the sack came to rest in front of Squall.

"Cough up… Hey, I recognize you," he said, smile still not disappearing. Squall stared at him, not flinching, not wavering. Their eyes met in a brief lock, and Squall pushed himself off the wall he was leaning against.

"Yeah, I sold you that weapon you have against Miss Heartily's neck. If you wouldn't mind taking it away…" Rinoa looked at him pleadingly, hoping he wouldn't anger him. Instead, Seifer laughed, a cruel cold chortle.

"Take it away? And give up these fine trinkets?" He rattled the sack for emphasis. Squall nodded, and looked at Rinoa from the corner of his eye. He inclined his head once more, and silently told her that she would be free in minutes.

"Yes, that happens to be what I mean." Squall wasn't even breaking a sweat, it was part of his nature to act coolly in the face of danger. "You could let her go, and I would let you pass unharmed, with your friends, of course," he gestured towards the alleged "Raijin and Fujin", "Or you could refuse and I would have to fight you." Seifer let loose that haunting laugh again.

"To be honest… I think it's time we tested this gunblade against one of its brothers," he said mockingly. He passed Rinoa to his cohorts, one holding each arm, and raised his gunblade. Squall, in turn, raised his. "When I give the signal…" Seifer whispered, as quietly as he could. Still, Squall had heard it. His head began to reel as he imagined the horrid things that he could be signaling for. Seifer held out his hand to shake before battle. Squall stared at it, before he advanced. Instead of his hand, Squall brought his gunblade down, attempting to slice that thieving hand off. Seifer pulled his hand back, and everything happened in an instant. Raijin pushed Rinoa towards Squall, and he just barely caught her. Seifer grabbed the bag of stolen goods and darted for the door, Raijin and Fujin close at his heels. Once more the cold laugh rang out. Seifer had gotten what he wanted. The bar was silent as Rinoa gazed up at her savior, and Squall returned the look. The gaze held them riveted, and it was several moments before a cheer erupted.

"Three cheers for our hero!" Irvine's voice rang out. "He has saved the infamous Caraway's only daughter!" Squall could feel Rinoa shudder as the bar exploded into cheers and whistles, clapping and shouts. Squall gently straightened Rinoa and guided her back to Quistis. He nodded slightly at her and looked once more at Rinoa. She looked into his eyes. He had saved her… no one else would have. Squall took something and laid it on the table in front of her. He nodded his head at the women, and without taking in another cheer or word, swept out of the bar, doors clanging behind him. Once more the bar fell silent as Rinoa touched the item left on the table. It was a single circlet of silver, an unknown beast engraved into it. She ran one finger along it, and laughter interrupted the silence.

"Well, that's Squall for you," Selphie said, and the bar busied for the millionth time that night after a silence. Rinoa opened her necklace at the clasp and slipped his ring on it as well. She placed the necklace on once more and touched it slightly. He had left her a memento… she hoped she would see him again. A sigh emitted from her as she leaned back in her chair. She would have one hell of a story to tell her "father" tonight.

**Did ya like it? I tried to keep the story as close to the video game as possible, concerning the past. I thought the flashback relevant, since it was happening once more, only real that time. I know you all have some questions: What is Seifer up to? When will Rinoa and Squall meet again? What was Quistis doing at a pub? Why does Zell act like a lunatic… well, maybe we've got that one figured out -hotdogscough- However, this may not have been written as well, I'd like some reviews to see how I did… you learn from mistakes, ya know.**

**Fujin- AFFIRMATIVE!**

**Greiverwings- Get back in the story, do you want to ruin your image?**

**Seifer- Jeez, sorry.**

**Raijin- Just having fun, ya know.**

**Anyways, I'll write more soon, I can come up with ideas pretty quickly, and reviews would help me with ideas for what should happen next, and that includes you, people-who-read-but-don't-review. Even a string of cuss-words describing how horribly it sucks would be accepted. Thanks for reading!**

**-greiverwings**


	4. Inner Thoughts and Danger

_Chapter Four! Wow, I didn't think that I'd get such great feedback from such a half-brained story! More responses for reviews, thank you sooo much!_

_Wolf- Thanks, buddy, glad you like this one. Better than the last one, isn't it?_

_Kitsu- Thank you, have any suggestions or ideas? I'm open for pretty much any idea._

_Ej- His scare? And no, I don't think they'll know each other like that, but… they all do have a connection, and they'll go to their sorta 'friend group', or as I put it, later in the story. The other kids at the orphanage are sort of random-ish._

_Here we go; thanks for reading and keep reviewing!_

Chapter 4: Inner Thoughts and Danger

"And that's what happened. I couldn't come home any quicker, do you really think he would have let me go? 'I'm sorry, but my father wants me home. Can we pick this back up tomorrow?'" Her voice dripped with sarcasm as she yelled into the man who called her daughter's face.

"So, how'd you get away? Pray tell, O wise daughter, who can never be guilty for anything, because she always has an excuse," General Caraway yelled back at her. Rinoa stared at him, ice frozen over from her stare. The room itself seemed to get colder as the two stared at each other.

"A man was able to distract him, draw him away from his prize," she said, trying to be metaphorical so that he wouldn't understand. Instead, Caraway seemed to swell with pride.

"Ah, was it that handsome cowboy, Irvine Kinneas, I think? He works around here sometimes, fine young man," he said. Rinoa shook her head, her eyes cast downward.

"It was… a stranger to this town… his name was Squall…" Caraway snapped out of his state and looked at his daughter with a hard glint in his eye.

"Leonhart? That wanderer? Rinoa, he's dangerous! If that robber hadn't hurt you, spend one more moment with that boy and he would have hurt you too for a little gold! He is not one that should be reckoned with!" Rinoa couldn't listen to her savior take any more discredit.

"Oh, yeah? Then why didn't he kidnap me and take me away to a cave where he could hold me ransom, because as we both know, 'dear father', anyone would be willing to kidnap me if it meant some of your estate. And besides, Selphie, Quistis, and Zell haven't yet decided to snatch me away, have they?" Caraway sunk into a chair, rubbing his forehead. Rinoa could just hear his thoughts: why was he stuck with such a pig-headed daughter? Why was she intent on going near dangers when it was too perilous for a seventeen year old girl, or in his eyes, child?

"Rinoa, if you see that man again, turn him in to the authorities, or just refuse to speak with him. If he comes near you, yell. I just want what's best for you," he said, reaching his hand out to touch her cheek. She pulled herself away before his hand could meet her skin.

"Well, let's put it this way: if it wasn't for 'that man', you wouldn't have a daughter tonight. Think about that," she snapped, stalking off to her room. The door could be heard several hallways away, as she slammed it shut and snapped the padlock into place. Groaning, she paced the width of her room, fuming in her thoughts and occasionally kicking her dresser. She finally decided that she couldn't stay anymore. Though they stayed in a stately ranch-house, filled to the brim with farm-hands and servants, it was late at night, so she was able to plot her escape. She pulled her boots back on and shoved a change of clothes and whatever money she had laying around or in her secret stash into a pack. Her window was greased, so it eased open without so much as a squeak. Rinoa used the window often; this was not the first time she had attempted escape. Finally, she had a space big enough to fit through. Her feet touched the ground before she was even fully out the window, and she shut it silently as well.

"For she's a jolly good fellow, for she's a jolly good fellow…" The song continued, and Rinoa recognized it as the congratulations song for a new mother cow. Hoping she wouldn't get caught, she made her way over to the horse stables, reading the only slightly-visible metal name plates on the doors of the stalls. After reading several horses names, she came to her favorite horse, Angelo. He was still saddled and bridled, having only been home for half-an-hour. The stall door creaked as she opened it and swung herself into the saddle, pack still firm around her back. The horse silently reared and began the mile-long journey to the town, hoping that Selphie or Quistis were still awake.

-change point of view- (AN- sorry, this is the only way I can think to change story views, so you know what it means now. Darn, I swore I wouldn't put these in my story)

Squall's head pounded, his heartbeat quickened. He was lying on a bed inside the local inn, known as the "Diablos' Hangout". The name seemed to suit the place well; it was hotter than hell in here. His cloak hung limply on the bedpost, the rest of his clothes still on his body. He didn't understand it… he had faced countless people, numerous outlaws, and every single one he had been able to take down. Today, with that Seifer guy, it had been different. He had been scared out of his boots. Speaking of which… Squall looked down and realized he still had his boots on. Kicking them off, he went back to his thoughts. What had made it different? _Her… that Rinoa girl. _Yes, of course. This was the first time a person who Squall had fought, or come close to fighting, that had taken a hostage. Then again… she was the first girl who had caught him like this. Her chocolate eyes had held his own cold ones fixed. Shuddering to himself, he ran a finger along the flaw along his face. A scar, stretched across his face from the right to left, top to bottom. Surprisingly, Rinoa hadn't cared.

"Why do I care?" he asked aloud. "No one's ever cared about me… nobody my age, anyways…" He felt like he was in a psychiatrist's office, this wasn't the time or the place to evaluate himself. He thought to himself… challenged himself to think of one person that was at least close to a friend… _Selphie._ He groaned and rolled over. _Girls don't count,_ he told himself. Squall corrected himself, girls did count. So… one. He wouldn't mind becoming friends with that Rinoa… no, shut up, shut up! He sat up and physically hit himself this time. She was high-class, he a roamer, a ranger. It'd be best to stay away from her… for her good. His finger went to his hand for his ring, and realized with a jolt of his stomach that he had left it with her. Once more, a groan escaped his lips, and a passerby knocked on his door.

"Sir? Are you all right?" a female voice asked. Squall nodded, and then realized that she couldn't see him. He yelled out a response, in this case a yes, and laid back down, flat on his back. Now he had to go see her… he should tell her it was a mistake, that he needed that ring back… it had been his mother's, and it was special to him. This time, Squall stopped himself from sighing and thought up reasons, knowing he was purposely coming up with excuses to go see her. Turning over on his side, he abruptly halted his thoughts and slowly fell into a fitful sleep.

**Alright, in my own personal opinion, this part was a little crappy, but I'd still like to hear what you people out there think! Special shout-out to the people who reviewed, and my two friends who had the heart to read this without yelling at me. I'd still like it if those people who were reading and are just skipping that review button would just take the time to write me a 'good story' or 'it sucked' note. Trust me, I won't hunt you down.**

**Seifer: Yes she will.**

**  
greiverwings: You're not in the story right now!**

**Seifer: Oh, yeah… whoops.**

**Thanks for reading, ideas are still open; I'm not like J.K. Rowling, I have an open mind as to what can happen next. Sorry about the Squall part being so short, by the way, I'm running short on stuff to say and different ways to say it. Thanks again!**

**-grieverwings**


	5. Werewolf's Banter

_Fwee, chapter 5! Alright, everyone, you guys have been so nice to me, haven't got one nasty review yet! Yay! It's good to hear your opinions and stuff, so just keep reviewing and I'll keep writing. Fair deal? Yeah, I thought so. Reviewer responses and then we move onward with the chapter! BTW, I'm moving a rating up, I can't see younger kids reading about… well, you'll see._

_Pvt Webster- Thank you, glad you're still sticking to reading the story; I'll try to update every day or two._

_silverRe- Thanks to you too, I have my siblings to thank for this idea. We were talking about western movies, so, poof, here this story is._

_Kitsu- Thanks again, glad to hear you're still reading it! I'll update periodically, I promise._

_Wolfwizard- Thanks, Wolf! It was a stroke of brilliance, or stupidity, whatever. I will write more, I'm not dropping this._

_ONWARD!_

Chapter 5: Werewolf's Banter

The cold of the night sharpened his senses. He couldn't find a safe place to turn, it wasn't safe anywhere anymore. His lust for blood and flesh grew stronger every second that passed, and he couldn't resist anymore. Still several miles from the town, yet completely out in the open, he shed his clothes before he could rip them. The crack of his bones altered his stance, so he went from crouched on his knees to down on all fours. White fur pierced throughout his skin and he changed slowly, trading one species for another. His human half left behind, he turned to wait for his fellows.

A howl erupted from further away, and he howled back; the long and woeful sound seemed to carry over several miles, and little children in their beds shuddered at the sound. Two of his kind came bounding up to him, and began to speak in a language lost to most men.

"Where is everyone else?" the white wolf asked. His two companions, one yellow in fur and one brown, shrugged the best they could.

"We don't know, if you howl, they should come," the yellow said.

"Or… we could signal them," the brown said. The white wolf nodded and put up his paw. On it was an intricate tattoo, written in ancient runes. The other two raised their right paws as well, with the same tattoos on the pad. As soon as the tattoos touched, a bright light stretched from around them and seemed to circle the globe, calling those with double lives, a second soul, blood thirsty and violent, seemed to beat against the hollow body. Soon, a cloud of multi-colored fur began to move swiftly toward the trio. The white wolf smiled, and stood on his hind legs.

"Come, my brothers and sisters. Tonight… we feast." A howl erupted, many wolves voices combined into one, and together they pounded off towards the town.

-point of view change: POVC-

Nida set his lasso on a hook and sat down on his bed. Another boring day as a farm-hand on the Caraway Ranch. Just before he slipped into dreams, a rustling sound came from outside his open window. His eyes snapped open and he looked out of his window apprehensively. Underneath his window was blood, stained and splattered against the wall. Nida sat up and slipped his boots back on, grabbing his small pistol. After slipping out the window, he walked into the stable, checking on the horses. As he approached Angelo's stall, he groaned, knowing that Rinoa had escaped again. He cared about her, but she just wouldn't listen! Silently, hoping not to wake the horses, he slipped out of the stables and walked towards the barn, pistol slightly relaxed in his hand. He slipped open the door and gasped. The cows, if they were still there, were bloody, and had body parts missing. The rest were gone, and Nida shuddered. No human could do this. He felt the gun being knocked out of his hands and he spun around, face-to-face with a grey-eyed wolf, standing on his hind legs, blood lining his mouth. Nida stared, dumbfounded.

"Human… face your doom," the wolf whispered, and Nida's eyes widened. A wolf that could talk? Of course… a werewolf. Nida was about to yell, but was stopped short as a heavy object came crashing down onto his head. The world went dark as Nida's eyes shut, but nothing could block out the sound of horrible, bone-chilling laughter.

-POVC-

Rinoa rode into the town, Angelo snorting with exhaustion. As soon as she reached the inn, a man led her to the stables to securely tie up her horse. She thanked the man, slipped him a few coins, and walked into the actual building. She leaned against the counter and gently tapped the bell. A dumpy man approached her, yellow teeth revealed through a seemingly plastered-on smile.

"Hello, can I get a room?" she asked. The man laughed and handed her a small slip of paper. She looked at the small-handwritten number on the paper: 7. "Thank you," she said, digging through her purse for money. The man shook his head.

"Pay tomorrow, and don't think you can get away, I watch the door," he said with a laugh. Rinoa grinned gently; it wasn't like her to leave without paying, so he had no reason to fear. As she went up the stairwell, she ran her finger along the stone walls, feeling the cold surface. The numbers were mismatched, and it took her several minutes to reach her door. As she opened the door, a dark figure sat up quickly, scrambling for his weapon. She quickly stifled a scream and shut the door quickly, shouting through the wood.

"I'm sorry! I didn't know someone was in there! I'm so sorry!" she cried, hoping that the person behind the door didn't kill her. The door slowly creaked open, and a man, hair ruffled but all his clothes still on, stared at her, still seemingly half-asleep. His eyes shone slightly in the darkness, and she instantly recognized him. "Mr. Leonhart?" she asked, and he finally realized that the figure in front of him was the woman who owed her life to him.

"Miss…?" he said, equally surprised, not knowing whether to call her Heartily or Caraway. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at your ranch?" he asked, more awake now. Rinoa shook her head.

"I've left for a short… vacation," she said bluntly. Squall nodded and gestured with his thumb through the door.

"Obviously, this isn't your room," he said. _No, it is, I'm just in here,_ he thought sarcastically. "What's your room number?" he asked. She looked once more at her paper.

"Room number seven…" she said, hoping to God this wasn't room number seven. Thankfully, it wasn't.

"This is room one," he said, pointing to the number bolted onto the door. She hated the owner all of a sudden, why did he have to make the ones look so much like sevens? She blushed slightly, even though she was trying to prevent it. Squall nodded; he had been thinking about going to see her, but he wasn't expecting this. He pointed to a door down the hall, and she saw a clear number "7" on the door. "Straight down there," he explained. As he looked at her necklace, he saw another silver ring on the chain, and he recognized it as the one he had left for her. Still, he couldn't bear to ask for it back. Rinoa smiled gently and nodded.

"Thanks again," she said quietly. "You saved my life tonight, gave me the ring, and you didn't kill me when I accidentally came in your room. You're not a bad guy," she said. He turned his head, not the kind to accept flattery or compliments. "Good-night," she said, and standing up on her tiptoes, kissed him lightly on the cheek. It was her way to say thank-you for the ring; she kissed the farm-hands on the cheek all the time. Little did she know that it had effected Squall in a completely different way. He watched her retreating figure as he touched his cheek slightly. No one had touched him in so long… all he had done was catch her as Seifer's cohorts had tossed her his way, it hadn't been anything special, and that ring wasn't really great, he could get another one from his father.

"Goodnight… Rinoa," he whispered, and he shut the door to his room and placed himself back on his bed, still touching his cheek. She could keep the ring… it was worth losing some silver just to be thanked that way. Once more, he fell asleep, weapon once more beside the bed. As the two fell asleep in their different rooms, a cry echoed throughout the west, but the cry was overlapped by a triumphant howl as the moon slowly rose in the sky.

**Wow, I didn't know I could be… so violent! Well, it was a book, "To Tame a Wolf", that inspired that werewolf thing, but the 'unknown werewolf' is evil. Not like the book, but it's cool! Now I feel so bad about killing off Nida, but I thought it would fit into the story. Thanks for reviewing, let me know if you liked this part! Oh, and that's why I put the rating boost, don't think K+ is for limb-losing cows, and werewolves and people dying or anything. The rating is now T, sorry about that.**

**-greiverwings**


	6. 900 years, 900 dreams

_Let's get this chapter started right! Okay, I'm no good at that, just felt a little hyper, that's all. I had two Dr. Peppers and 3 bowlfuls of popcorn with salt and butter, I'm going nuts. So, watch out, this chapter may be a little crazy._

_Wolf- -rolls eyes- You nutcase. Lol, thanks for reading it, buddy! Trust me, I use that word lightly._

_Ej- Thank you, I thought I was going crazy, letting my ideas run rampant. Lol, besides, if Wolf likes it, you know it's at least a little weird._

_Magical Girl Pretty Sammy-Chan- 'S a long name. Thanks to you, glad to know there's a new reader!_

Chapter 6: 900 Years, 900 Dreams

She looked to her left, surrounded in a forest grove. Sure enough, there he was. As handsome and wonderful as ever. She continued to look at him, hoping it wasn't a dream. His diamond-like eyes shone as they gazed into the lake nearby them, watching the koi dart past, or the occasional heron silently tread the waters. A great tree against their backs, the sitting position they were in was perfect, his arm around her and her head on his chest. His mouth was slightly twitched upwards in a perfect smile, and she didn't want this moment to end, for it to stretch forever. He looked at a passing dragonfly, and followed it to gaze upon his love. Of course, he hadn't told her of his love… if she knew… who knows what she would do. A princess of a noble clan could never love a mere hunter from a lesser tribe.

"Okkoto…" she whispered, and he placed his full attention on her.

"What is it, Ura?" he asked. She looked at him gently, wondering what he would say if… no, when she told him. She was Ura Eboshi, a princess of her tribe, and he, Okkoto Jigo, a hunter from his. They were of different statures, and he might not accept her. Still, she had to try.

"Okkoto… How long have we been friends?" she asked, hoping to delay the subject. Okkoto's head tilted back as he tried to think, recalling the first moment he had laid eyes on her. He remembered she was beautiful, donned in a silky-flowing robe decorated with flowers. Of course, it was the style then; for royalty, anyways.

"Four years…" he said quietly. Four long years… he had been in love with her the second they had laid eyes on each other, but he would never tell her. Four long years… not a single word, nor kiss.

"And… I've… been…" She couldn't tell him that she had been in love with him for the most part of those years. It was impossible… forbidden… and yet that made her love him, if possible, even more. "I've been in love with you for most of those four years," she said quickly, hoping he wouldn't turn away from her in shame. Okkoto's eyes widened as he stared at his beloved Ura, not just a tribe princess, but his princess, his darling. He continued to stare, but a smile began to itch at the corner of his lips. He leaned down and claimed her lips, as answer to her truth. She smiled, knowing he loved her too. Sighing with happiness, the two enjoyed their first kiss… but they didn't know it would be their last, as well…

A woman, lying in a bed, woke from her dream. She hated that dream; it reminded her of the past, long ago. She despised that name, "Ura Eboshi", and that was why she had changed it. Ever since he had died… no, she refused to think about it. And yet… the memory seemed to haunt her, and it replayed in her mind again and again…:

The two came together in the same glade where they had shared the kiss, days ago. Ura was determined to tell him which clan she came from, that of the werewolves. That was why they should run away; the werewolves would come after them. It was forbidden for a human and a demi-human to come together in love, but she knew that once they were out of the boundaries, there was nothing to be done to hurt them. As they reached each other, Okkoto enveloped her in a gigantic hug. Ura broke away, and looked him straight in the eye.

"Okkoto, I must tell you where I am from…" she began, and she sank into her other form, done effortlessly as she had been born as a werewolf. He stared at her and let her other form take in, but as he was about to reach out and touch her, an arrow flew from the trees and pierced his heart. Two wolves exited from the forest and looked upon his body, slowly dying. He saw the two with the arrow, and realized that his darling… his princess… was with them. The hurt in his eyes portrayed more than words could say, and he shut his eyes for the final time, his last breath drawn from his body. At that moment, Ura had run away, vowing against her brothers, vowing that she would honor Okkoto's name. But to do that, she would change her own. The pain, and the hate, she felt were ultimate, and she decided upon her name.

Weeks later, she had made a pact with the spirit that controlled the ancient forest, that she would give up her soul in exchange for eternal youth, eternal life, so she could execute her revenge on the wolves. The spirit agreed, and the old princess left the forest, all desire to love sucked from inside her.

The memory halted as the woman recalled that horrible event, nine-hundred years ago. She was as young as the day he had died, but had not been able to wipe out all: the werewolves and the humans. It was their fault that they had not been able to be together, their fault that his skeleton lay in a ditch back in the homeland. Her once blue eyes had turned grey, and her beautiful brown flowing mane had turned to silvery-white, her skin dead-feeling and clammy. She rose from her bed, putting on a red robe and a thin dress. She looked in the mirror, despising the thing she saw. She was no longer the innocent girl, Ura Eboshi. She was now Ultimecia Okkoto: the bane and death of all who tread upon the earth.

**Buahaha, yes, Ultimecia is in this story, just thought I'd give her a bit of a back-ground. The names Okkoto, Jigo, and Eboshi were all tributes to Princess Mononoke, as it was the beautiful soundtrack that inspired me for this part. Okkoto for the boar-leader, who almost became a demon because of his hatred, but through the wolf-leader, Moro, was able to let go of his hatred and die peacefully. Eboshi is/was a woman warrior who wasn't quite known for her compassion, yet did have a heart towards those in need. Jigo was a big-fat jerk who nearly destroyed the world because of his greediness, plus he's really ugly, but I thought it would add an opposite to the character. Trust me, we'll get back to the other characters, just felt a little background was needed. The main focus in this story is Squall and Rinoa, don't forget. I won't either. Sorry this was so mushy; I just felt like I owed you guys a break. All this dying and werewolves, plus I thought: hey, I need background. Ok, let's just put this. My story, my rules. Deal with it. lol. This dream was going to be for Rinoa, but I had a brain-burst. I guess hyperness does work out sometimes. Please review and stuff, can't wait to hear from my readers! Oh, and thank you, Wolf, for showing me that movie. :D -greiverwings**

**P.S. And Wolf, you know I just like to mess with ya, don't take any offense. :P**


	7. Man or Woman?

_Alright! The madness continues! Thanks for the reviews and stuff, and this time, I've only had one Sprite, and it's 12 in the afternoon, so this is probably a lot less hyper-sounding. We are back to our original characters, so yay for that! Here are some reviews, and then we move ONWARD!_

_Ej- Yeah, I know I liked it! Craziness does help a lot; I guess it can't be all bad. Lol_

_Pvt Webster- My point is proven, nice of you to catch it! No one's born bad; stuff just makes them that way._

_Kitsu- It was almost Rinoa, I just thought that it'd fit better with a different character._

_Here we GO!_

Chapter 7: Man or Woman?

Rinoa sat up, rubbing her rear end. The bed was painstakingly hard, and she had only got a few hours of sleep. As the numbness subsided, she stood up and looked at herself in the length-mirror. A long white nightgown hung down to her ankles, her hair slightly ruffled from tossing and turning. Sighing, she began to change into her powder-blue dress, but changed her mind. Her thoughts raced as she pulled out some loose pants, a baggy button-up shirt, and her rawhide cowboy hat. Tucking up her hair, she slipped on the shirt and pants, placing the hat on top of her hair. All in all, she did look quite like a man, but anyone who knew her would be able to see through her disguise quickly.

Taking out the bolt, she grabbed her pack and strode out the door. Her thoughts roamed as she caught glimpse of the door she had accidentally barged into the night before. Letting impulse take over, she pushed the door open slightly and found it was unlocked. Inside, she saw…

"Nothing," she said aloud. The room was empty. Feeling a strange disappointment sinking into her stomach, she plodded down the stairs and jumped the last two steps, taking the clerk by surprise.

"AUGH!" he cried, leaping backwards. Rinoa let out a chuckle, purposely trying to make her voice sound lower. "R…r…room number?" he said, still trying to catch his breath.

"Room seven," she said, hoping that he wouldn't remember the young girl who rented out the room.

"Ah, that's…" he counted out on his fingers, obviously not having a head for math. Rinoa placed small golden nuggets on the table, and the man's eyes widened. "Perfect!" he said greedily, using his grubby fingers to sweep up the gold. Being the daughter of a former army general had its benefits, even if it was a tedious and irritating task. The man nodded her out as he began to calculate the ultimate price for the nuggets, eventually having to ask for help from a nearby accountant. The sight of the weary man, holding a small yet old-fashioned abacus, reminded her of her current task. Sighing, she walked out of the room and back into the dusty open of the town. It felt different to be wearing men's clothing, but it made her feel free, far away from the stuffiness of the woman's life. Why had she looked in his room? The thought suddenly entered her mind. What had she been looking for? He was just another guy…

"Watch out, sir!" a voice called, and Rinoa turned her mind from her thoughts and what was in front of her. Her eyes focused just enough to see the blurry brown thing approaching her, feel something smack off her forehead, and see the scenery change quickly into blue. She had walked into the side of a building and fallen flat on her back. Small heels echoed through the ground, and Rinoa stared into the face of a small-looking girl. "Rinoa?" she asked, and was recognized instantly as Selphie.

"Selphie?" Another head popped up beside her; this time blue eyes and blonde hair stood out. "Quistis?" As her eyes focused once more, she sat up, realizing how stupid she must seem.

"What on earth are you doing?" Quistis asked, her 'school-teacher-mode' turned on high. Rinoa let her pull her to her feet, and brush her off.

"I was heading to the bank, and I was thinking, and I rammed into the wall." Selphie stared at her, and looked at the glimpse of silver along her neck. Moving too quickly for eyes to see, in less than a second her necklace was out of her shirt. Selphie gasped as she saw the new addition.

"Squall's ring? Rinoa…. What's going on?" she said, more teasing than serious. Rinoa stuck the necklace back into her shirt. She looked at her two friends and placed her hands on her hips.

"He gave it to me, problem with that?" she said, and stalked into the bank. Unfortunately, her friends decided to follow her.

"Rinoa, I know him, want me to set up a date?" With that, Rinoa whirled around and slapped her friend upside the head.

"Shut up, Selphie!" she whispered furiously, but as they approached the window, a voice began to chastise her.

"Y'know, in this town, it's illegal to hit a girl." Rinoa froze. "Well, since you're such a nice-looking feller, I'll let you off the hook." Rinoa turned to look at the voice and saw Zell, clad in his banker-gear, laughing at them. "Long time, no see, Rinoa," he said. As the four began to chat, they didn't notice a shadow watching them… almost hungrily. It could only hear snippets of the conversation…

"I just want to take out my half of the money Caraway has." Zell frowned.

"Did you run away again?" he asked.

"What's it to you?" she shot back, as a scream rang out. Voices died down, as they stared into the center of the hallway. A circle fanned out around something, and finally Rinoa was able to see. A body, mangled slightly and bloody, was in the center of the bank. As Rinoa stepped closer to see, everyone gasped. Someone, no, something was flying down from the ceiling. Landing on all four paws, a white werewolf stared out amongst the crowd. Everyone was frozen in fear, as the thing grinned at them with bloody teeth. Realizing that he could move freely for a few short seconds, it rose up onto its hind paws and howled, a deathly-frightening sound. Slowly but surely, its head turned towards Selphie as it landed, staring at the girl directly besides Rinoa. Just as it lunged, a blur of yellow and red leapt in front of it, blocking its fangs with a gun. It landed a few feet backwards and stared with frozen eyes at the man who had delayed his kill.

"Come any closer, and your brains are on the floor!" Irvine cried, gun pointed directly in-between the monster's eyes.

**Yay, Irvine to Selphie's rescue! No Squall in this chapter, I know, I just thought it'd be good to get some other characters. There MAY -hint hint- be some Irvine/Selphie fluff, but there may not, I kinda make this up as I go along, but this chapter took me 7 hours! Ruuuuning out of ideas, so when you review, I'm open for suggestions!**

**  
Seifer- NO, get Chicken-Wuss instead, you stupid werewolf!**

**greiverwings- AHEM. Again, thanks for reading! -greiverwings**


	8. Disappointment

_Chapter Eight, heck yeah! Okay, glad you guys liked it, and I've been getting positives on the Irvine/Selphie fluff, so I just might put some in. What can I say? I'm a people person._

_Ej- I like your ideas, and trust me, Seifer's gonna be in the next few chapters, though I'm not going to say he came back. I like that govornment idea, that way Squall and Rinoa will have a better chance of meeting, and he can't go anywhere. Laguna is mainly a background character, no more characters'll be thrown out there, I think/hope._

_Magical Girl Pretty Sammy-Chan- Alright, I will, MAYBE. Lol, this is my story, but you'll probably be happy. I will keep going, I promise._

_Onward! Oh, and Squall was in the bank, we were just not focusing on him, sorry if this confuses anyone. Flashback! (mini-style!)_

Chapter Eight: Disappointment

"Come any closer, and your brains are on the floor!" Irvine cried, gun pointed directly in-between the monster's eyes. It continued to stare into Irvine's eyes, almost daring him to shoot. Suddenly, after many tense moments, the werewolf decided that its brains were worth a lot more than a throat under his teeth, and it pounded out of the bank, howling as it went. The silence, however, lasted as the few citizens that hadn't fled left silently and swiftly. Soon, all that were left in the room were Zell, who was the head banker and couldn't leave, Quistis, Selphie, Rinoa, Irvine, and Squall, standing in the corner. Rinoa was dressed as a man, but Squall could see through her disguise. Her lips were too full, her eyes too brown, and she had stray hairs drooping from underneath the hat. Squall quickly stopped himself from describing her to himself further. His gunblade was in his hand, ready to shoot at any second if the beast had proven a bigger threat, and thankfully, he hadn't had to use it. He watched the five with interest in his eyes, and unintentionally walked forward, sheathing the blade at his side.

"Irvine! You… you…" Selphie choked, and she latched herself around his waist. Irvine patted her gently, putting his arms around her. "You saved me," she muttered.

"Hell, what else was I supposed to do?" he said, grinning. Squall suddenly realized that he was less than three feet away from the group, but was spotted too quickly to get away.

"Squall?" Selphie said, wiping a stray tear and breaking away from the hug. He nodded, hoping that nothing drew too much attention to him.

"So, it's Hero Number 1, eh?" Irvine said, jokingly. He stuck out his hand, but Squall almost bluntly refused to take it.

"Who?" Zell asked, and everyone turned to Rinoa.

"Zell," she sighed, "while you were drunk, this man saved me from a mugger. His name is Squall," she said, and looked into the latter's eyes. He turned his head, almost blushing at the close contact. He internally smacked himself. Squall Leonhart does not blush.

"Oh." Zell contemplated the rest of her small speech. "Hey! Who says I was drunk?" he said indignantly.

"The cows said it all," Quistis said. Quistis' eyes were roving in-between Rinoa, her necklace, and Squall. Quickly, an evil glint began form in her eyes. "My, my, I forgot, we must be leaving," she said innocently. Rinoa stared at her, wondering what on earth she was doing.

"We must?" Selphie asked. Quistis gave her a look, and Selphie's eyes widened. "Oh, yes, we must! We must…" Selphie broke off, staring at Quistis.

"You, me, Zell, and Irvine were all going to clean out your… basement at the saloon, remember?" she said pointedly. Selphie nodded and put her arm on Irvine's.

"Oh, yes, so sorry to leave you two," she said as well. "Come on, Irvine." She began to drag off an obviously confused cowboy as Quistis did the same to Zell, also confused but even funnier looking. Squall rubbed the back of his neck, and looked at Rinoa. She was standing with her hands clasped behind her back, one of her shoes dragging along the floor. Rinoa suddenly hated her friends; the saloon didn't have a basement! _Why did you leave us alone?_

"That disguise would have worked, if you had tried other things," he said pointedly. She blushed slightly at having been found out by several people, but grinned and looked up.

"I should probably… get back in my regular clothes, huh?" she asked, not really looking for an answer. Of course he had seen through it, a person from a mile away could have seen that she was a girl. Squall shrugged.

"Whatever," he said, turning to leave.

"Wait…" she said, grabbing his hand. He froze at the contact, wondering what the Diablos this woman was doing touching him. Not that he didn't like it… it just felt weird. Not that he didn't like it? What the hell was wrong with him? He was going soft over some girl! This violated about ten of his personal codes, and it didn't quite help that thoughts of her kept shoving themselves into his mind. He turned to look at her, just to make her happy and so that she would let go of his hand.

"What?" he asked, not quite sounding like his tough-guy self. Rinoa loosened her grip on his hand, though to Squall's disappointment, did not let go. Rinoa herself didn't know why she had stopped him, she just… couldn't let him go. _All right, now you're going crazy,_ she thought to herself. She had just met the guy, why did she… no, that couldn't be it. She let go of his gloved hand and turned away, embarrassed with herself.

"Nothing," she said quietly. _Damn, I wish she wouldn't do that, she's making me feel guilty… whoa, now, control yourself, Leonhart._ He couldn't help but look at her, thoughts screaming things at him. _Now, you idiot, ask for your ring back!_ As if she could read his mind, she fingered her necklace. "I'm sure you want this back…" she said, her hand moving to undo the clasp.

"No," he said suddenly, loud enough to make her stop and stare at him, frozen in the action. "You… you can keep it," he said quietly. She slowly lowered her hands, and stared at him.

"Thank… thank you," she said, a small smile blooming across her face. Squall began to hope, and yet dreaded, that she might kiss him on the cheek again. He was about to say something, when applause began to ring out through the old building.

"Well, well, well," a voice stated with sarcasm. "Isn't this quaint?" Squall turned to face the intruder with an almost angry look in his eyes, trying so hard to not be irritated with this person for breaking the silence. As soon as the figure caught his eye, he fell silent and almost fearfully put one hand on Rinoa's arm in protection. "Too bad I have to ruin the moment." Rinoa stepped closer to him, and he placed his hands on her shoulders to make her feel safe, and yet to keep her from clasping him the way Selphie had attacked Irvine. She whimpered slightly as the figure approached them slowly…

-POVC-

"That was stupid, Seifer," Raijin said pointedly, Fujin nodding along with him. "You could have gotten yourself killed, ya know?"

"AFFIRMATIVE. KILLED, NOT GOOD. NO LONGER POSSE." Seifer laughed cruelly, staring his friends down.

"You think that could have hurt me? After that girl went down, who's to say the other girl wouldn't have? If he hadn't jumped in, I could have killed her." Raijin shook his head, staring at Seifer with a weird look.

"Man, a blow to your brains could kill ya, ya know," he said.

"POINT," Fujin said. Seifer laughed again and stared at his two friends.

"You two are funny, always agreeing with each other, when you're not pissed at him," he added to Fujin. "Trust me, I know what I'm doing. If I want to gain her trust, I must do what she wants, right?" Raijin frowned again.

"She wants ya to mindlessly kill, our kind and their kind," he said. Fujin nodded. Seifer grinned.

"And that's what I like about her…"

**Muahahahaha! Guessed what Seifer is yet? If you haven't, you'll find out, but please, pick up the clue phone! Lol, inside joke. I kept Squall in character, didn't I? Just… affected by hormones slightly. OK, maybe a lot. OK, I think this one sucked, but for those people who like it, mushiness is soon to come between our favorite couple! -I'm leaving that one open, think what you want- And about Quistis… we've all had that annoying friend who won't leave you alone and keeps doing insane things to get you and this one guy/girl together WOLF. Lol, still, I'd love you if you'd review and stuff, please! Crrazy as a coconut:P Write ya later (bad pun)! -greiverwings**


	9. Start Living

_Woo-hoo! Some people liked it! YAY! I'm listening to Toby Keith, singing "How do ya like me now". That's EXACTLY how I feel. Hee-hee! Well, chapter nine, and I'm glad you get who Seifer was joining up with, but hurry up and guess what he IS. Ok, reviews, and then we move ONWARD WITH THE MADNESS!_

_Ej- -grins- So you got it, quicker than I thought anybody would. Well, the story and the hyperness continue, so don't worry. I have some… plans for this story. BUAHAHAHA -cough- ha._

_Magical Girl Pretty Sammy-Chan- Yay for Squinoa fluff! Lol, yes, there shalt be fluff. Eventually, we'll get to the actual romance stuff, but for now, they've gotta fall in love first, right?_

_Wolf- Yeah, see, you know what I mean. And I don't think boys are icky, remember Alex? Yeah, Shaman King-guy? And my dogs rock better than your dog and your cat put together. (To be honest, your cat is minus points, it has it in for me) And thanks for that, glad everyone likes it!_

_And you people out there, don't act like I just spoiled that, you knew they were gonna fall in love, for Pete's sakes, don't throw a fit. OK, here we go! Oh, and to be honest, you're gonna hear more about Toby Keith, he's gonna have a role in this, somewhat._

Chapter Nine: Start Living

Selphie served up a round of drinks, setting one down for herself and sliding into a seat next to Irvine. "Why did you make us leave?" Zell asked, downing his third glass. As he eyed Selphie, puppy-dog eyes on full for her to get him another round, she groaned.

"Get it yourself," she said testily. Zell gaped at her, then shrugged and slid out of his seat, abandoning his drink and slurping directly from the tap. "Eww, Zell, people get their drinks from that," Selphie added. He shrugged and continued to lap at the beer from the wooden barrel. Quistis shuddered slightly and took another light sip of her beer.

"We left so they could be alone, couldn't you tell?" she said sarcastically. Once more, Zell shrugged, getting more intoxicated by the second. "Look, Rinoa thinks he's cute, he couldn't take his eyes off her last night, he saved her, don't you think that's enough reason to give them some time to learn about each other?" Irvine grinned slightly and looked at Selphie, who was busy watching Zell with a look of amusement and horror on her face.

"Still, we should go check on them sometime, they've been in there half-an-hour!" Selphie giggled.

"Wonder what they're doing…" Irvine said aloud.

"Trust me, you probably don't want to go there," Quistis said warningly. Still, she couldn't help but wonder. What were they doing…?

-POVC-

"What do you want?" Squall asked, hands still on Rinoa's shoulders. The figure laughed, and came into view. It was a woman, silvery hair almost down to her ankles. She was beautiful, in a weird, old-lady way. Still, Squall couldn't help but feel that the woman needed more clothes, particularly in the shirt area.

"Why, just to speak with the couple of the year. I heard about you from last night," she said laughingly, coming closer with each breath. Rinoa let out another whimper, and Squall grasped her shoulders tighter.

"How do you know…?" she stopped. How did she know about the night before? Why did she call them couples? Did she know what she was thinking?

"My dear… I know everything," she said. As she spoke, black wings sprouted from her back. "Nine-hundred years of life on Earth can do that to you." She was now a foot away from them, and she looked Squall up and down. "Funny, you look so much like him…" she said quietly, and Squall's eyes widened. He wondered if he could grab his gunblade without her noticing. "Oh, yes, introductions are suitable. Your names, please?" she asked with forceful politeness, obviously false. Squall didn't think it would hurt them, besides, if he could get his gunblade out, that woman would be dead before she could utter the first syllable of her name.

"Squall Leonhart," he said, still moving his hand slowly. Rinoa stared at him, wondering what he was playing at. Still, if he said his, it must be safe for her to relay hers.

"Rinoa… Heartily," she said, trying to conceal her trembling.

"Give us yours, demon." _So we can put a proper name on your gravestone besides "Unknown woman who attacked us",_ Squall thought with a smirk.

"Oh, you don't need to know mine. Just know… I will be haunting your dreams for quite a while, kiddies. You'll never know when I'm just around the corner." Her wings began to carry her up as a bone-chilling laugh began to echo. As she stuck her hands out in the pain, they noticed a rune on her right palm, and Rinoa gasped. She had studied Ancient Runes before, with her father, and… it couldn't be… Wait, pain? The echo of bones cracking and a painful, yet pleasurable, scream resonated through their ears; a blast of wind nearly blew them off their feet. Squall, not realizing it, put his arms around her and held her close, trying to keep her from being knocked over. Rinoa felt herself surrounded by him, and was stunned into submission.

"Damn it!" he cried, surrounded by another blast of wind. Finally, the storm halted, and they pulled their heads away to stare at the woman… but… she wasn't there anymore. Instead, there stood a werewolf on its hind paws, silver in color and howling to the ceiling. The wings on its back slowly melted away, back into the skin, and the thing pushed the door open with its shoulder, howling again as it galloped away. Squall looked down and saw the top of Rinoa's head. He suddenly realized that she had her arms around him… and his around her. But… he couldn't let go. _Any moment now, come on, reflexes, kick in!_ Despite his thoughts, his arms didn't move, and she looked up.

"Uh…" she muttered, staring into his eyes. Damn, were they beautiful… the perfect color of grey, tints of blue creeping in. He had rescued her, given her his ring, acted… civilized when she accidentally barged into his room, and now had his arms around her. He stared back, warm chocolate eyes seemed to bore a hole in his soul, engrave her name in his heart. She smiled and laughed slightly, and he raised an eyebrow. Just as she was about to get closer…

"Oh, crap, see, I told you, Selphie!" Quistis had opened the bank door to see Rinoa and Squall locked in an embrace with her leaning closer to him. Selphie's head poked behind the door as well, and gasped.

"Oh, uh… sorry!" she cried, trying to shut the door quickly. However, Quistis' head and Zell's foot blocked it.

"Ouch!" she cried, rubbing her forehead as Zell stumbled in.

"Aw…" he slurred, "Love at first sight!" he said, stumbling in and putting his arms around them. "Damn, I wish I was in love… We'd drink beer together, and she'd help me run the bank… Oi, Quistis!" he cried. Her face flushed as her eyes widened in horror.

"AUGH, get away from me, you drunk piece of cow crap!" She turned and ran, leaving enough space for Irvine's hat-brim to stand out. A chortle echoed, and Irvine stepped in followed by Quistis.

"I see you two hit it off," he said humorously. Instantly, the two separated, Rinoa's face flushing. At that moment, Quistis was chased by Zell back in the building, who both stopped to catch their breaths.

"Why don't you ask Selphie to be your girlfriend, huh?" she said angrily, huffing. He shrugged, and pointed.

"She's in love with Irvine," he stated. Selphie gasped, and flushed instantly. Rinoa and Quistis covered their mouths, and Squall looked at her amusedly.

"Uh… uh…" her throat sounded dry, and her face was getting redder by the second.

"Hell, Irvine loves her too," Zell slurred. This time, it was his turn to go red and clap a hand over his mouth. Squall couldn't stand it… the pressure… too much to handle… He excused himself from the group quietly and left the bank, restraining himself as much as possible. As he walked out, a scrap of paper fell from a back pocket, and Rinoa stared after him, ignoring the chaos ensuing around her. As soon as Squall was outside, he let a snort escape him, but wouldn't let anything else emit from his lips. Almost chuckling, he walked to the saloon, hoping for a quick drink before he headed back to his room at the inn. Hell knew he needed it… he had to get his mind off Rinoa for a while.

-POVC-

Rinoa looked at the piece of paper in her room at the inn. It was a… of all things, it was a "to-do" list. She laughed, and looked at some of the items on the list. "Buy a horse", "buy provisions for trip", "shine and polish gunblade", "leave town". Rinoa frowned. She didn't want him to leave town… yet, if he was, it wouldn't kill him to get some advice, right? She added something at the bottom of his list, and then snuck out of her room. It was dark out, and the hallway was almost pitch-black. She pushed open his door to see Squall spread out on his bed, still fully-clothed. Thankful that he didn't lock his door, she left the list on his tableside. As she shut the door, a small prayer went out from her heart to his, hoping that he would get it.

"Unh?" he mumbled, sitting up as he heard the door shut. He saw a slip of parchment on his desk. Yawning, he reached for it and began to look it over. It was his "to-do list", and it looked okay… but there was something on it that wasn't his handwriting. Squall's eyes widened as he looked at the paper. After his things, it said:

"Raise a little hell,

Laugh till it hurts,

Put an extra buck in the plate at church,

Go see your folks, just to chat,

It's time that you made time for that

Stay up late,

Oversleep,

Show your girl what she means to you

Catch up on all the things you've ever missed

-Rinoa"

He laughed. It sounded like she was trying to give him advice. Still… if she wanted him to, it was advice he'd follow. Setting the list down, he summarized all the things she told him to do. It basically sounded like she was telling him to… keep living life. _Hell, _he thought as he lay down, _I'm not living now._ As his eyes slowly shut, he put what she wrote in a short phrase… "Start living," he said quietly, as he drifted off to sleep.

**OK, first off, My List belongs to Toby Keith, I just thought it would fit in well. Buaha, first time I put a song in my story. Anyways, Zell spilled their secret! Hee hee, what wonders a drunk man can do. BTW, I'm changing the title! This song is gonna fit a lot more into this story, trust me. Muahahaha, we shall be advancing the plot soon… so Ultimecia revealed herself to the couple, and they're starting to fall in love, and so are Irvine and Selphie! Yay for that, well, review, let me know how horribly this was written, whatever. Thanks for reading! Oh, and… I was gonna say something… oh, well, if I think of it, I'll let you know. -greiverwings**


	10. Stuck?

_Alright, Chapter 10! We've hit the big one-oh, and there's still soooo much to go! Oh, and congrats on Wolf and Ej for guessing. :D hee-hee, this is gonna be fun… If I sound crazy or weird, it's 1 in the morning and I'm pissed at my brother, it's not entirely my fault. We were talking about the end of the world because of FF7, and he said I'd have a million people to apologize to, then he started listing my faults. Grrr, sometimes I hate him. Anyways, here are some review responses, and then we go forward!_

_Magical Girl Pretty Sammy-Chan- Yeah, it kinda does! Alright, add some Selvine into this bottle, and Squinoa only if the mixture fails… lol. Glad to know SOMEONE'S rooting for me… -glares at brother-_

_Ej- Yeah… something like that. Hee-hee, you'll find out! And… good guess. -grins- Thanks to you too, glad everyone likes it!_

_Wolf- Heck, we have history with him… Elmo (lol, popcorn!), Miss Falcone… God, I miss her. Good teacher. Thanks to you too-too, I'm gonna keep writing. And yes, Zell loves his beer! lol, still, I have NEVER heard you laugh like that before, and just over "nyum-nyum"._

Chapter 10: Stuck

"Thus, no one can leave, and no one can enter. I'm sorry," the mayor finished as he walked slowly off the stage. A dull murmur of outrage and disappointment rose up from the crowd, and Squall turned to look at the guards standing post at the entrance to the town. Why him? Why had things ended up this way…?

-FB (a.k.a. flashback)-

Squall sat up, head heavy and eyes drooping. Hauling himself off the bed, he placed both hands on the desk and stared into the mirror. "Ugh," he shuddered. Dark circles were running underneath his eyes, and he felt nauseous. His hair was tousled from tossing and turning, the room stank of sweat, and so did he. Those drinks he had last night hadn't done him any good, and seeing the note she had left made his dreams fill with her, in a drunken sort of way. He frowned and rubbed his forehead. There was no way in hell he could leave today.

"Hey, is a Leonhart in here?" a voice called. Squall opened the door, not bothering to fix his appearance. The inn owner looked him up and down before shaking his head. "There's going to be a town meeting," he began.

"I'm not a member of this town, doesn't concern me," Squall said bluntly as he tried to shut the door. Funnily enough, the man's big belly blocked the door, he didn't even wince as it squished his stomach.

"Everyone in this town must come. You don't come, the Sheriff will have a bone to pick with you," he said with a grin. Squall sighed. What could the town govornment possibly need to see the outsiders for?

"Fine, just give me a minute," he groaned, shutting the door. This time, the man leapt out of the way.

"Yeah, sonny, you take that minute. Heaven knows you need it," he joked, laughing as his footsteps clomped down the stairs. Squall began to comb through his hair with his fingers as he attempted to make the circles seem less noticeable. Finally, after several unsuccessful minutes of face-cover-up, he groaned, sheathing his gunblade and stalked downstairs.

"Why the hell me?" he said aloud to the disapproval of a few old ladies standing nearby. He glared at them, before he fingered his gunblade. The two women were frightened into silence as he walked by, silently chuckling to himself. Yes, it wasn't his nature to scare over-the-hill women, but it sure as hell was funny. He left the building and stalked over to the town hall, seeing a few familiar faces but preferring to stick to the back. His heart leapt into his throat as soon as he caught glimpse of Rinoa, thankfully back in her powder-blue dress. Swallowing his heart and ignoring the quickened beating, he looked to the front, watching the mayor approach the wooden podium.

"As you know," he began, clearing his throat, "The attacks on our fellow citizens have been increasing, but the problems seem to be linked." He stopped, loosening the tight hold of his collar. "I have people patrolling the gates, however…" he halted once more, waiting for a response or a cry of outrage. "However, for your own safety, they have been instructed to stop all, and I mean _all_ that are coming, or going." The crowd began to murmur, but a few sentences too late, he kept going without stopping. "Thus, no one can leave, and no one can enter. I'm sorry," the mayor finished as he walked slowly off the stage. -AN: and now back to present times- Squall sighed. He had obviously walked off quickly as to avoid fruit being flung at him. He turned. Now he couldn't leave… well, he was stuck here for quite a while. Still, not all of him was upset. A very large, yet very timid, part of him was glad to be stuck in the same town as Rinoa Heartily.

"Man, can you believe it?" a voice rang out. Reflexes taking over, Squall ducked into the shadows, hiding in the corner as much as possible. And yet, to his horror, a bunch of people stopped right in front of where he was. With a smile, he recognized Quistis, Selphie, Irvine, Zell, and, his heart jumped, Rinoa. Rinoa shook her hair out of its tight bun and sighed.

"I know, but the good thing is that now none of the cowhands from Caraway's farm can come to get me!" she said with a grin. The others stared at each other and smirked. "What?" she asked.

"Now HE can't leave," Quistis said evilly. Rinoa stared at her, a look of confusion on her face.

"Squall, silly," Selphie said. His eyes widened. Why were they talking about him?

"Yeah, we all know you have a thing for him," Zell said with a laugh. Rinoa frowned.

"I do not!" she cried. Despite the fact that he was trying to forget about her, his heart sank at her words.

"Oh, come on, you stare at him all funny, you're always spaced out when he's around, what more evidence could we need?" Irvine smiled, patting her on the shoulder.

"Look, we need to go," Selphie said, putting a hand on Irvine's arm. He nodded and put his arm around her.

"Yeah, we'll see you guys later," he said. As they walked off, Zell smiled gently.

"Gotta go to the bank, see you later! Quistis, will you help me out for a while, things are getting tough…" She nodded and they walked off, Zell continuing. "See, all those papers and bank statements are driving me crazy, and you've had experience with papers and stuff…" it droned out. Still, Rinoa didn't move, pondering what they had said. Squall shuffled, hoping that she would leave soon. Instead, the noise alerted her attention and brought her to look closer at the shadowy corner, hoping to God it wasn't a werewolf. Taking his chances, Squall leapt out of the corner and clapped a hand over her mouth, keeping her from an almost ear-piercing scream.

"Shh! It's just me," he reassured her before removing his hand. Rinoa suppressed a smile. She had hoped she would see him again.

"Why were you hiding?" she asked, cocking her head to the left slightly. Squall hadn't thought of that.

"Uh… I… uh… Well… uh…" he started, unable to continue at all. The fact that she was staring at him like that wasn't quite helping either. "I heard voices… and I… well, I, uh…" Rinoa laughed a deep belly-laugh that had her doubled over. He couldn't understand why it was so funny, but seeing her laugh like that made something swell inside him. It grew and grew as she kept laughing, almost grappling onto the wall for support. Finally, he burst. Rinoa instantly stopped laughing and straightened up… it was unbelievable. Squall was… laughing. A short, deep bark-like laugh that enthralled her, and she began to laugh as well. Soon they were grasping each other's arms for support, laughing until their sides hurt. Passing people stared at them as if they were insane, but neither cared. Finally, the two stopped, gasping for breath and still clutching each other. Realizing that Squall's arms were pulling her down, Rinoa crashed to the ground, bringing Squall with her. Making a small "x", they landed on top of each other, Rinoa laughing once more. Squall grunted slightly as he shifted, his arm didn't feel too great.

"What?" Rinoa said, laughter subsiding as she lifted her head to stare at him. He grunted once more and shook his head.

"N-nothing, just my right arm," he said, trying to raise himself up before falling onto his back. Rinoa sat up and pushed his legs off her lap before she crawled over to his arm.

"Damn, let me see it," she said gently. Her delicate fingers traced his arm through the sleeve, upon reaching the elbow, he jolted. "Okay, let's just…" She thought of the local doctor, known for loving his whiskey, but still quite useful when he was sober. "God, just take me now!" she cried. Squall stared at her. She looked back at him, anger screwed into her features. "The doctor was out of town, and now he won't be allowed in!" she growled as his eyes widened. "You can still walk, can't you?" she asked with a frown. He grinned slightly, only upturning one corner of his mouth.

"It's my arm, not my leg," he said. "I'll… ugh," he stopped as he shifted. "I just need some help up." Obligingly, she stood up and held out her hand.

"Left arm, please," she said as he stuck out his arm, placing his feet in a crouching position. Hauling him to his feet, she moved his arm to a comfortable position against his chest and instructed him to keep it there. Her fingers grazed his chest lightly; at the sudden contact, he shivered. "I have medical kits in my room." Squall frowned and allowed her to lead him through the town, taking him to the inn. _If it weren't for my arm, this would have been perfect,_ he thought wistfully.

-POVC-

"Look, they've been able to slip out; we'll be able to get in just the same!" Seifer argued, arms rose in the air and a fire burning in his eyes. Ultimecia lifted herself off her chair and stared him, a fire blazing in her eyes as well, but a cold one.

"No. We go in as humans, we come out as humans." In his anger, Seifer turned right then and there. His fangs bared, he stared at the obstacle from his bloodlust. She laughed. "I can beat you in a fight, don't even try." Frowning, he dropped his form.

"My hunger grows greater, when do we feast?" he said, mock respect dripping from each syllable. She laughed.

"Soon, O servant. Very, very soon." Their laughter mingled as dusk approached them… things were about to get quite… interesting…

**Hee! Alright, this was the longest chapter yet, what'd y'all think? I happen to like it, poor Squall, though! And no, it's not broken, just sprained. For those of you who guessed Seifer was a werewolf, yay for you! You win nothing! Still, congrats to ya. I'm not going to change my title after all, I like it the way it is. :D, and the rating will not go up, this will stay T, thank you. Augh, I'm not going to write ANYTHING about… that. -shudders- Can barely even stand to hear it read aloud. You would know that, wouldn't you? Yeah, you know who I'm talking to. To Tame a Wolf? Yeah, you know who you are! -kills you- lol, j/k. Took me a whole damned day to write this, I'm ticked at my brother again. :D, he never stops. Whelp, FF7 beckons. Thanks for reading, and I would much appreciate it if you guys pressed that little button down there labeled "Submit Review". Please? Thanks to Ej for the town-close-down idea!**

**-greiverwings**


	11. Bandages, Reports, and Portraits

_Hi-hi, it's me! All right, FF7 is driving me crazy; I can't get Bahamut Zero! Ok, whatever, reviews and then we continue with the story! We figure out how Squall can fix his arm… yay! WARNING: EXTREME FLUFFINESS! Yay!_

_Lady-Rinoa- Yay, it's nice to get reviews from you! Good to know there's a new reader. Anyways, thanks again, hope you keep reading!_

_Ej- NP? What's NP? Anyways, you think "Stuck?" is a good title? Well, I'm doing something right! Glad you like it, the suspense of Squall's arm is soon to be solved!_

Chapter 11: Bandages, Reports, and Portraits

Squall stood in her room and looked around. It was painstakingly clean, and it had a funny scent to it, like perfume. Rinoa stood in the corner, rifling through her desk for a medical kit. Squall rolled his eyes, remaining standing. Of all the places to be, and of all the people to be with, he was in immense pain, and that was the ultimate killjoy. Rinoa turned, small white box in her hand.

"Roll up your sleeve," she said. Squall obliged, wincing as his sleeve touched his elbow. Rinoa eyed him, almost curiously. "You can sit down," she said quietly, motioning towards her bed. He quickly sat, turning his face as she sat by his arm. "This may hurt, I'll have to touch the arm," she whispered gently. Squall nodded. No way was he going to cry or do some other baby thing like flinch. Still, he couldn't help but make a face as the strip of cloth laden with ointment was wrapped around his entire arm. Tying the edges gently, Rinoa pulled back. "There!" she said enthusiastically, and noticed his head was turned. She watched him, as he slowly turned his head around once more.

"Thank you," he murmured gently. Rinoa slowly nodded, staring into his eyes. Squall did the same, just gazing into those pools of melted chocolate. Suddenly, he felt as though he was the one melting. His heart pounded against his throat, and his left arm also suddenly felt numb. Her lips twitched into a smile, and his did the same. Slowly and deliberately, Squall leaned further towards her, smile leaving his lips but not his eyes. After a single tense second, Rinoa leaned forward gently, letting their lips meet. Gigantic rockets seemed to explode in front of their eyes as her hands slowly moved around his neck. He responded by sliding his left arm around her waist, thoughtfully leaving his right at his side. Before he could let himself get carried away, Squall pulled apart, his arm still around her. A grin spread across his face, as did hers. He broke away from her embrace and stood at the foot of the bed, wishing for her arms still around his neck.

"Squall…?" she said quietly, not moving from her spot.

"Thank you again…" he said, smile once more disappearing. "Not just for the bandages, though…" he trailed off, before walking slowly out of her room. Rinoa sighed and leaned up against the wall. He had left… did that mean he didn't care? Her heart had almost burst with joy when they had kissed… and he acted as though it meant nothing. Still, it was passively beautiful… when would she see him again? Pushing the box off her bed, she flopped down, dress fanning out as she turned onto her side. Whenever it was, it would be perfect.

-POVC-

Squall sat on his bed, tenderly examining his arm. He couldn't believe it… of all the stupid things to do. While she's trying to bandage his arm, or whatever she was doing, he was trying to kiss her. It was probably the dumbest thing she'd ever seen… He clapped a hand to his head. What if… things went too far? His thoughts had been pure at the moment, but… Groaning, he flopped over, staring at the ceiling and gently fingering his lips. They still burned, as if he had touched them to fire. He wanted nothing more than to touch them to hers once more, to feel her hands around his neck, his around her waist. He frowned, grunting as he shifted his arm. No matter what… he would have to talk to her again. It would be worth it, if she was angry at him, just to see her face again. Slowly, he fell asleep, dreams filling his head of holding her in his arms once more.

-POVC-

Seifer laughed. The newly-formed grapevine that Ultimecia had established was bringing more and more… interesting news. Ultimecia looked up and frowned. "What in hell could possibly be funny?" she asked testily. Seifer waved a hand, shooing the other werewolf away.

"I love this connection you've set up," he said laughingly. Ultimecia's frown deepened.

"You're using it for your own entertainment, aren't you?" she asked.

"No, no, of course not." Satisfied, she dropped her head once more, reading out of a book with grueling details on transforming and pain. "I have the reports on the two you're watching."

"All reports are supposed to go through me first, Seifer," Ultimecia added without looking up.

"Yes, yes," he said impatiently, and he re-opened the report. "Apparently," he studied the parchment, "The two you're watching… have something going on!" he laughed, chuckling fit to burst. Ultimecia looked up.

"Meaning?" she pushed.

"Someone was watching them. Rinoa, you said, broke… Squall's arm and then took him back to her room to bandage it. Inside…" Another fit of laughter barricaded him from completing his sentence; however, Ultimecia had gotten the gist of things.

"So… we've got a new-found love on our hands." She rose from her seat and stared out the window. "They will be… very fun to destroy…" Seifer stared at her back before settling into his chair and leaning back his head.

"I'm wondering… when do we strike? All you seem to be doing is filling in your pleasure time with reading and studying old documents." She laughed once more.

"We strike at midnight, in a week." Seifer grinned and clapped his hands together. "Once I kill those two… you can have the rest."

-POVC-

Caraway put his head in his hands. On the same night, his best cowhand had been found dead and ripped apart, his entire ranch was devastated, and his daughter had gone missing. And, recently, the town had closed. Now, they were almost doomed. No supplies from the town meant that they would slowly starve. It gave him a different perspective in life, since he was destined to die. The last time he had seen her, he yelled, forbid her from going near someone who probably had good intentions. His favorite maid, Xu, walked in, tray of food balanced on her left hand. No, she wasn't a maid, she was a close friend. She only had duties, no one thought of her as a servant.

"Look, sir, she'll be fine. If she is in the town, she's perfectly safe! Don't worry," she said, leaving the plate on the table. He grinned slightly.

"How many times do I have to tell you? It's Reno, not sir," he said with a smile. She nodded and left the room, silently wishing that he would eat and get some rest. Caraway looked at the family portrait he had done when Rinoa had been just four. Her mother, God rest her soul, had been as beautiful and sweet as Rinoa could be. Then the accident… just one year later. He stood and walked to the painting, slightly fingering his late wife. She had gone riding, against his wishes, and the horse had fallen, rolling over her and crushing her neck. Rinoa herself found her, and came home in tears, blaming herself and her father.

"Sir, uh, Reno, we're very low on rations, and the horse meat is slowly running out." Xu stopped and stared at him; he was looking at the portrait when they had been a happy family. Xu silently stepped backwards and shut the door, leaving him to his sentiments.

"Julia… what would you have done?" he asked her spirit, and walked back to his chair, sinking so low his chin could almost touch his chest without moving his head. His wife had gone, and his daughter was missing. What more could they take away from him? A single tear escaped his eyes, and Caraway turned in the chair, staring at his portrait until he fell asleep.

**Hee, okay, about Caraway's first name, it is unknown, and I had to give my tribute to the Turks. Some o' the best villains yet. Besides, it'd sound funny if his name was Rude or Tseng. Anyways, Xu will not have an important role, she is another background character, a supportive character, per say. I finally have a plot line, but sadly, I will not be updating for a week because I'm going to Disneyland with my buddy. Hope I didn't disappoint you guys too badly, but it doesn't mean I'm gonna stop writing! Oh no, I'm gonna work on this while I'm gone too, so I can update when I get back. Happy Friday! -greiverwings**


	12. Caraway's Plight

_Well, back from Disneyland, and I had a great time! Now I'm waiting for a certain story from Wolf about Squall in Dizzyland/Disneyland. Write it, woman! OK, it is time… THE LONG AWAITED UPDATE! -laughs evilly- Oh, yeah, reviews first._

_Ej- Thank you, good to know it's not too mushy._

_Wolf- WHAT DID I JUST SAY? Mushy is good, your brain is just too small to appreciate it. :D_

_Sammy- Muaha, I knew it was you. They're not really an "item", per se; they still need to figure things out._

_Wolff- Can I call you Wolfie or Wolfster? It'd keep it easier for me. XD Anyways, Squall sort of is the wondering type, glad you like it. And cute and cuddly isn't really in my description of wolfies, unless you're talking about Lupin. :D J/K._

_Lady-Rinoa- Hah, I suppose so. I've never kissed anyone, but I've seen it. Lol, there was a snog-out at Disneyland. Thanks again._

_My final words: Horny man, let's go search for Hell, there we can do the Sean dance and the Seven Dwarves with their little friends will join us. Confused? So is the rest of the world. :D Onward. P.S. There's gonna be a showdown, so strap in. And they talk sorta oldish to each other, so if you don't get it, they're basically calling each other fools and idiots and bagging on each other. :D You'll see._

Chapter 12: Caraway's Plight

Caraway sat up in his chair, awakened silently from his sleep. His chin was still slumped onto his chest, and his hands dangled over the arms. Sitting up, Caraway stretched and continued his stare at the portrait into the lives of the past. His heart ached for the long-awaited touch of his Julia, the feel of his daughter's hand in his. Still, the two women he loved were gone from his life, his wife dead, and his daughter missing. Everything had been destroyed. His hand moved up to cover his eyes as his head slumped forward once more, lost in his own misery.

"Wake from thy sleep, o king of thy home." The speech of olden times made his head rise, as he stared into the black of the room. His wife had spoken the talk of old to him sometimes, a sort of thing that they did together. The voice sounded familiar as well. In fact, Julia herself stood in the room, a glow almost emitting from her very being. Caraway stood up, hand outstretched to her.

"Julia? It can't be…" His hand had reached her face, feeling her cheekbone and long strands of brown hair flowing from her loose bun. Her face felt real, her hair feathery to his touch. "It is you…" he said gently, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"C… Caraway…" the woman whispered, slinking back slightly from his touch. Caraway's eyes narrowed as he stared into her eyes. They were a glimmering yellow, instead of the deep brown of Julia's. Quickly, he realized the truth.

"Come out, werewolf! Your images cannot fool me!" Applauding, a young man with blonde hair stepped out from the shadows, laughing aloud.

"Ashimoka! Enough." Julia shrank backwards, light brown hair turning to a deeper, longer brown. She stared at the man with contempt in her eyes.

"Why must we do this, Sir Seifer? He isn't important to her plan!" Seifer took this pause to slap the girl across her face. Caraway watched in silence. They were obviously werewolves, but the girl didn't seem to be as evil as the stories would tell. Her eyes glowed healthily, though her body seemed to sink around the stomach, ribs sticking out like handles through her shirt.

"Keep your mouth shut, girl. You do not know our mistress' plans as I do." With that, he stepped over the trembling girl and stood in front of Caraway. "But how rude of me! I am Seifer, knight to the queen of wolves. This," he spat towards the girl, "is Ashimoka. A dirty half-breed, one who was bitten, but who cannot turn. As you can tell, I use her for my images that draw filthy humans like you into a trap. But you, O Cattle King, have turned my plan over towards me."

"I saw the girl for who she really was. You can't win against me."

"Oh? And I, who have already won against the rest of your household. As we speak, my fellows are feasting on the flesh of your servants. Almost all of your house are dead, my poor idiot. They answer to me, I answer to only one. My queen would like an audience with her humble servant," Seifer said laughingly.

"I am no servant of your acclaimed mistress, prince of fools. Even if you kill me, my blood will live on."

"You mean your daughter? I'm sure she'd love to pass on your blood, especially since she'd rather run from you." At Caraway's face, he laughed. "Yes, I am the one who launched the attack after your daughter ran away, taking the lives of Nida and your prized cows to give you a taste of what was to come. I am also the one who attacked her in the saloon a few nights ago, the one who was bested by that idiot." He spit on the ground and seemed to puff out his chest. "He shall die soon. To be honest… And now," his tone completely changed, "I introduce the one who has the power to end and create. I leave you in her, ah, caring hands. Or should I say… paws?" With that Seifer stepped out of the room as a woman stepped in, wearing robes of deepest ruby red. Her hair hung down to her feet, tattoos like vines spreading along her face. A small rune on her right hand was glowing slightly.

"Ashimoka, your services are no longer needed." The girl slowly crept out, not taking her eyes off of Caraway. "Go, you filthy wretch!" the woman said harshly, giving the younger girl a kick. Yelping and whimpering like a dog, Ashimoka shot out of the room with only one thing filling her mind… to find help.

"What do you want, witch?" Caraway yelled, hoping to the Lord above this was a nightmare.

"Your life…" she whispered as she crept closer, slowly transforming effortlessly. "Do not worry… your daughter will be safe. For now. You die for a better cause!" she cried as her transformation completed, lunging for his throat. Caraway shut his eyes and tensed, but nothing could prepare him for the immense pain as the sharp teeth and powerful jaws closed along his Adam's apple and began to tighten.

"Ju… lia… I'm… coming…" he managed to whisper before the woman crunched his windpipe in her jaws, leaving him lifeless. She left him there, sprawled along the floor, hands closed in prayer. As he lay on the ground, the sound of howling triumphantly filled the air outside as a hoard of werewolves pounded away, being followed by the slower Ashimoka. She vowed silently that she would end the terror from Ultimecia before her death, and according to her reports and the things Seifer said, only two people had the power to destroy her… two people named Mr. Leonhart and Miss Caraway-Heartily.

**Short, yes, but I wanted to get this out A.S.A.P. so you guys had more to read. :D Anyways, I will update soon, and I'd like to know if any of you out there have the MIDI for Stray from Wolf's Rain, can't find it anywhere. One last bit- Tim Burton is weird. Thank you. Please review and stuff, and keep waiting! It's a small turd after all… -walks away humming-**


	13. Stone Age

_Yeesh, more of this story is coming… only it's chapter… 13! -hides- Well, let's hope I can break the tradition of 13 being unlucky and write this chapter! Yeah! OK, reviews, then I shall attempt to rewrite history! Not really, but who's paying attention?_

_Ej- Standard reply as usual, eh? Well, glad you liked it._

_Wollffye- Ah. Thank you. Sorry, it gets confusing with two Wolfs. And is… interesting… a good thing? Lol, not in my opinion, they must be evil! -laughs evilly- Not really, I know there are SOME good ones._

_Lady-Rinoa- Yeah, it was better than Wolf's idea, she said Xu and Caraway should fall in love. -gags- Still, I had to kill him off, adds more complications. Heh heh, I am so evil._

_Magical Girl Pretty Sammy-Chan- And I thought I was crazy. Heh. Balamb Brigade? OK._

_Wolf- Oh, shut up. :D I still love ya, though… sometimes. : P_

_Oh, by the way, if you weren't paying attention, the whole household was dead. So, Xu's dead too. The end. No reviving them. They're gone. Live with it. Thank you. Sorry this update was spaced, school just started, and it's very hard to write and stuff with school junk like swirling around in my mind. I'll try to update every week on Fridays from now on, but if I don't, you know why. Y'know, I have a very strong urge to put Cid in as the local and very, very fat Indian chief, whadda you guys say? OK, enough stalling… On with the show!_

Chapter 13: Stone Age

Squall opened his eyes, looking up at the ceiling with a frown on his face. Sure, he wasn't the type of person to wear nightclothes, but his clothes were beginning to chafe him in his… well, the pants were getting irritating. He rubbed at his backside slightly before rolling over, staring at the wall and examining a tiny spider living in-between the cracks. Annoyed at the way the stupid thing reminded him of himself, Squall turned over and stared at the desk. However, the imported pine desk seemed to create faces, mocking him. He sat up, and sighed to himself.

"Calm down, you just need… more sleep," he muttered. He groaned and clapped a hand to his forehead. Squall had to admit it. He was bored half-to-death. He had been trying to sleep for an hour since he had woken up, howling jolting him from his sleep. Everything had been feeling so confusing recently… all things deranging logic from his brain. It really didn't help that he had lost control earlier as well. Still, there was only one safe place where he could travel at night in the town, but it was probably closed off. More thoughts swirled around the giant whirlpool that used to be his subconscious, until he decided. He was going. His traveling cloak lay on the bed post, almost like a shadow cast over his bed. Getting to his feet, Squall slipped his feet into his boots and whirled his cloak on, staring out at the dismal skies.

The cold darkness seemed to seep through the cracks in the walls. Despite his tough-guy demeanor, he shivered in his cloak, feeling as though the black was a legion of cold, dark fingers stretching out to him. His eyes stared into the star-filled skies, eyes almost becoming like stars themselves. Shaking himself lightly, Squall walked out of the room, placing the blocker so that you could only open the door if you were at least one-hundred and thirty pounds. He was at least one twenty, he hadn't weighed himself in a while, plus the boots gave it an extra kick, so that was no problem at all. Slowly padding down the hallway and leaping down the stairs a few steps a time, Squall eased out the door and walked swiftly and silently to the town's entrance. The guard sat stiffly, staring out into the open prairies. Squall silently slipped past, blending into the shadows almost perfectly. His footsteps were silent, swift, as he walked miles out of the town. The only sign that he was even in the desert was the occasional sound of breathing.

After he had gone a mile or two out, he came across a small stone house. Squall recognized it solely as the very house he was raised in, the orphanage that he spent a good eight years of his life. The house had been abandoned several years ago, leaving it in disarray. Hedges were growing in an almost complete circle around it as vines crept up the walls. He ran his hand against the moss-covered stone and stepped inside, the door rusting from disuse over many years. He sat on the old bed he used to sleep on, nearly collapsing under his weight. Squall flopped down, to the protesting of the springs, and heaved a heavy sigh. Nothing made sense anymore…

"Hey." Squall leapt to his feet, wishing he had brought his gunblade. "Chill, I just followed you." He sat upon the bed once more, staring at the figure leaning against the door.

"And that's supposed to make me feel better?" Squall asked sarcastically. The figure laughed and stepped out of the shadows to reveal himself as Irvine. Irvine flopped onto a bed next to his, looking intently at the man in black.

"So… why here?" Irvine asked, laying his gun on the floor. Squall sighed and tilted his head back.

"So many memories here…" he left it at that. Irvine laughed once more and put his chin on a hand.

"You couldn't sleep either?" he asked. Squall turned his head so sharply he almost twisted his neck. At least, that's how it felt. He frowned and turned his head back to the ground. "Hey, it's cool." He leaned against the wall and sighed. Squall tensed slightly. He had come here to be alone, that's why he left in the middle of the night. Still, it was nice to have someone there to talk to… even though Squall would never say anything. "Anything happen between you and Rinoa yet?" He slapped himself. _Speak of the devil._ Squall purposely turned away from him and grunted, refusing to say anything. He fingered his right arm, feeling the bandage through the cloak. Irvine laughed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Squall asked bluntly, turning his head only slightly. Irvine laughed again.

"How long have I known you, three or four days?" Irvine answered his own question. "I can already predict exactly what you'll do or say to almost everything someone else says or does." Squall grunted, not wanting to listen anymore and just wishing he was still in that stupid bed back in the town. "So, what happened after we left?" he asked again. Squall frowned and began to recite the tale, knowing that he would find out anyways. When he came to the bit about the pain in his arm, Irvine covered his mouth and snorted.

"What?" Squall asked, irritated at being interrupted.

"You… sprained your arm? By falling?" he laughed, holding his stomach and shaking.

"Be quiet and let me finish," he snapped back. Yes, it was quite embarrassing that a tough guy like him could sprain his arms that easily… then again, he wasn't too fond of milk as a kid. He continued his tale, but at the end Irvine was surprisingly silent.

"Man, even I didn't think that would happen that quickly!" he exclaimed. Squall raised an eyebrow. "We had a bet going on…" he said sheepishly. "I bet two weeks, Selphie bet a month, Quistis bet two months, and Zell voted cow. He was drunk, again. Anyways, I didn't think it'd be less than a week, though!" Squall frowned and stared at the stupid cowboy.

"Thanks, Irvine, that makes me feel so special," he sarcastically commented. Irvine laughed once more, causing Squall to grin, though he quickly swallowed it and pretended he had never smiled in his life. Irvine stood, still laughing, and holstered his gun upon his shoulder.

"Shall we leave then? You never know when the 'guard' will up its patrols." Squall sighed once more, stuck traveling with a certain idiot if he wanted to be protected. They left the house, Squall once more shutting the door as the sun slowly snaked up the horizon, lighting up the bleak western prairies. Squall, though he wouldn't say it out loud, felt better having confided in someone, but one final precaution must be taken.

"Hey, Irvine?" Squall asked.

"What?"

"You utter a word about what I said and your guts are on the floor." Once more, Irvine laughed.

"Somehow, I knew you'd say that." Together, they walked as the sun slowly rose from behind the distant Blue Mountains. Squall couldn't help but feel that he had made one more friend.

**Yayness for that, this chapter is finally out! And yay, Squall made another friend! So yip-yip for that! Sorry to keep you all waiting, but as I said, I'll try to update over the weekends if not Friday. Happy Labor Day, all!**

**(note: I finished this on Labor day and updated today, don't say my internal calendar is wrong… which it is. :D)**

**-Greiverwings**


	14. Red Sky at Morning

_Alright, reviews are at the end, and chapter fourteen is now up! YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH! Anyways, let's get cracking! Oh, and for the song, those of you have played FF7, think along the lines of Cosmo Canyon._

Chapter Fourteen: Red Skies at Morning

Julia bounced Rinoa on her knee, marveling at her daughter's gurgling coos. "It's your birthday tomorrow!" she whispered into her daughter's ears, kissing her cheek gently.

"And our little birthday girl has to go to bed," Caraway stated, ruffling his daughter's hair.

"Oh, Reno, one last song?" she pleaded. He chuckled and nodded.

"How about the one your grandfather taught you?" he suggested. Instantly, a flow of notes erupted from her throat, all words Rinoa couldn't quite understand. However, four lines stuck with her the rest of her life, understood or not:

"_Red skies at night,_

_Children's delight_

_Red sky at morning,_

_All people take warning"_

Four years later, the Caraway's awoke to a blood-red sunrise. Julia kissed her daughter goodbye and rode away on one of their horses. She never came back…

The now-seventeen Rinoa stirred in her sleep, uneasy dreams haunting her from peace. As the first rays of morning stretched across the skies, she awoke. Light began to peek from behind the curtains, turning her room an unearthly red. Rinoa sat up, rubbed her eyes, and looked out the window. The sun had turned the skies a deep red hue, the prairie grasses flowing in the distance like a sea of blood. She turned too quickly to see a small figure dart amongst the brushes and tumbleweeds. As she slipped off her nightgown and pulled on her dress, the edges of the sky became blue, so that a tip of the sky was normal once more. Despite that fact, it was clear to Rinoa that something awful was to happen today. Lacing up her boots, she looked at her necklace, sitting innocently on the desk. She stood, and with one fluid motion, slipped it about her neck. Suddenly, a wave of questions swept over her as she gently touched the ring had given him. Shaking her head and clearing her mind, she stalked out of her room.

As her boots echoed along the frozen walls, a louder noise caught Rinoa off guard. Out of curiosity, she pressed her ear against Squall's door. With a snort of maniacal laughter, she realized three things: one, yes, the noise came from his room. Two, the noise was Squall's snoring, and three, he snored louder than one thousand gunshots erupting at once. Silent laughter erupted along her, as tears ran down her cheeks. Wiping the tears, she quietly padded down the rest of the stairs and slipped out of the door. The skies had changed the town a ghostly maroon, further confirming her fears. As the priest slowly toddled to the church, Rinoa realized with a start that a small, crouched, also robed figure was hobbling silently after him. The hooded face turned towards Rinoa, and she could see an almost deathly yellow glint from inside the hood as it approached her.

"Are you Lady Heartily?" the hooded person asked.

"Yes," she replied uncertainly. The figure heaved a sigh of relief and pulled down the hood. It was a girl, a young girl, probably about thirteen. Her hair hung down in clumps, and yellow eyes distorted the rest of her face. She was obviously very unhealthy and unkempt, and the way you could see her ribs through the thick, dark robes made her look like something from a Grimm Brothers Fairy Tale. "Who are you?" Rinoa asked.

"I am… Ashimoka," she said quietly, almost ashamed of her name. At Rinoa's look of confusion, she grinned slightly. "Look, I need your help. Only you can save us, you and a mister… Leonhart?" she said, screwing up her eyes in trying to remember. Rinoa frowned. The name sounded dreadfully familiar… of course!

"Squall?" she asked. Ashimoka nodded, and Rinoa turned towards the inn, looking at the second floor. "How did you get inside the town?" she asked. She shrugged.

"Used the roof," she said simply, miming leaping off the roof of the inn into the town. Rinoa cringed as she imagined free-falling from such a high distance.

"Why do you need our help?" she asked. The girl dropped all pretenses and shivered.

"The Queen of Wolves has me under her employment. She had assigned me to do… horrible things. I finally had enough when she killed Caraway. So, I broke away last night and traveled to the town." Rinoa sank to the ground, almost horrified at what had just been said.

"Cara-… Daddy is dead?" she asked quietly. Ashimoka nodded and placed a gnarled hand on her shoulder.

"Ultimecia had me pretend to be Julia, but he wasn't fooled. Seifer distracted him for a while, then Ultimecia pounced and killed him. I… truly am sorry," she whispered. Rinoa stood, not letting an ounce of emotion peek through her hardened face.

"Should I go get Squall?" she said, the care and softness gone from her voice. Ashimoka leapt back, cringing as if someone was to hit her and nodded. Rinoa turned and headed back into the building, walking up the stairs once more and stalking towards his room. The snores had disappeared, and Rinoa knocked on his door softly. Her fears were once more taking over. What if he didn't want to speak to her anymore? A sigh could be heard from inside, and a quiet voice shouted: "Come in,"

Rinoa pushed open the door, stepping as noiselessly as she could. Squall looked up and saw her enter his room. Instantly, he shot up in his bed, trying and failing to flatten his hair down. He stood, then sat down, then stood again. Finally, he stayed standing, watching her try her hardest not to giggle. "What is it?" he asked, hoping he didn't sound like a jerk.

"There's a girl outside who needs our help in defeating the werewolves." Squall stared at her, then turned.

"No. Don't count on me." Rinoa gasped gently and walked towards him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"But… why?" she said. Squall had a strong urge to knock her hand off his shoulder, but it felt like it was a part of his body for that second.

"I just… I… don't count on me," he said simply, feeling redundant and stupid. Before Rinoa could reply, a scream alerted both of them as Squall whipped into action. "Come on!" he said quickly, grabbing her hand and yanking her down the stairs with him. She followed almost as quickly, not pausing to realize that he had her hand in his.

"What made you change your mind?" she said, half meaning it as a joke.

"Reflexes!" he called, pulling open the door. As soon as they stepped outside, a horrible sight appeared in front of their eyes. Ashimoka lay on the ground, blood pouring from her face as a Wolf hung in front of her, snarling as blood dripped down its claws. She still seemed to be living as she screamed, the wolf lowering its jaws. Squall leapt into action, tearing the beast away from her and brandishing his gunblade. Rinoa leapt besides him, holding her pocket knife she always kept with her.

The blood pouring down the girl's face dripped onto the dust as she attempted to still it with her hands. Ripping a strand from the robe, she held it to her face, watching the two face off with the werewolf. As soon as it charged, four extra figures leapt besides them, Squall launching it backwards with his gunblade. Standing besides them were Selphie, Quistis, who were both clutching pocket knives, Irvine with his gun, and Zell, gloves that had metal studded where the knuckles should be.

"Couldn't resist coming and helping," Zell grinned. Squall looked to his right and left, seeing them clustered besides him, ready to fight. The wolf was frightened, but quickly joined by two more. They had now leveled the playing field. Squall smiled in spite of himself and raised his gunblade.

"Let's do this!" Selphie cried, pushing the pocket knife in front of her. In the instant, the wolves charged, all from different corners. Squall gasped in pain as one of their jaws clamped around his right arm, already damaged. He yelled in anguish, driving his gunblade through the monster's heart. It fell to the side, dead instantly. The other two ran, beaten and bruised, whining their hearts out as they pounded out of the town, allowing the warrior's their moment's rest. The girls cleaned the knives as Squall knelt down, blood seeping through his arm. Despite the pain, he pretended it wasn't there, standing again as he went to examine Ashimoka. The blood had slowed, but there were three deep gashes across her nose. The marks would never go away. As he looked about the group, he grinned gently, before falling to the ground in a dead faint.

**Hee hee, this has to be the longest one I've written! The Balamb Brigade ((happy, Sammy-Chan?)) has fought their first fight together! Yay for that, then! I am SOOOO glad I finally got this out. Anyways, simply know that I am not dead, and reviews are down here from now on.**

**  
Ej- Yeah, you were generally right about Ashimoka. And, yes, I finally have an idea for the plot, I am no longer writing randomly. Yea for that, glad to know you're still interested in this love/hyper fest!**

**Ayato- Welcome to the club! Glad to know there's a new reader, I'm glad you like it! Hope this chapter wasn't too horrible. You're dreadfully brisk in your replies, but who am I to judge? Lol:D**

**Wollff- Whazzap? Yeah, I wrote more! And this story WILL be completed, it shall not go on forever, though that'd be cool for me and annoying for you guys.**

**Anyways, hope you guys like this! And, maybe I'll put in Cid the fat man chief, it would certainly give me a laugh. Thanks for waiting for this, reward me with more reviews! Lol, j/k. -kisses fingers- Peace out!**

**-Greiverwings**


	15. Scars

_After the long wait, here it is! Chapter Fifteen! OK, I know you have some questions, so I decided to put together an interview! Read and enjoy!_

_Reader- So, what is the deal with the rune on the werewolves' hands?_

_Grieverwings- SHUT UP AND READ._

Chapter 15: Scars

Ultimecia drummed her fingers upon the armchair as Seifer paced back and forth in his wolf form. It had been several hours since she had sent the wolves to the town, but there had been no word of success or failure. It was unusual, as the skies had been red all morning, and to top that, the house normally crowded with 'wolves was silent.

"What's taking so long?" Seifer finally snarled, staring at the door in anger. "It shouldn't take this long to eliminate two people who are asleep, for-"

"Hush," she hissed. "They are the only ones who stand in our way; however long it takes to destroy them, we'll take it." A deep rumbling growl echoed from his throat as he reluctantly placed his head on his forepaws. As the minutes passed by in silence, and the minutes turned into hours, a lone rider took his horse at a trot past the old Victorian house that had been abandoned in the West so long ago. No one knew how it had gotten there, but it was said to be haunted. As he pulled his horse closer by the reins, a single bullet came from inside the house and pierced his horse's skull. The horse crumpled to the ground, and the man leapt off his horse, cursing the devil and all the demons that lived within the old house.

Inside, Ultimecia lay down the gun and returned to her book, a grotesque collection of half-transformed werewolves. "My Lady…" a sniveling voice came from behind the door.

"Open it," Ultimecia sighed. With a single flick of his hand-like paw, the door swung open to reveal a half-starved grey wolf. The wolf sidled in and bowed low, acknowledging her importance.

"Highness, the wolves that you sent this morning have returned."

"Finally!" Seifer snarled, but Ultimecia raised a hand to silence him.

"Send them in." Instead of the three wolves she had sent, strong and proud specimen, only two had returned, beaten, bloodied and sad, with their tails between their legs. "What happened?" she angrily asked the female wolf.

"Lady, we arrived as planned, but Kadaj spied Ashimoka speaking to the girl. In his anger, he attacked, which drew the attention of the 'Enemy". He managed to bite the male, but was killed soon after."

"So you ran, Quintana?" Seifer asked quietly. He moved a single paw forwards.

"Uh…" the wolf began, taking a step backwards with every step he advanced. Finally, her back was against the wall, with Seifer's jowls only inches from hers.

"You have failed," Ultimecia said unfeelingly. "Suffer the consequences. Seifer," she began, but before she could finish, a single snap of Seifer's jaws sat the wolf's soul to rest. "Fool!" she cried as the other wolf ran out like the devil was at its feet.

"What?" he said quickly, turning his face towards her. Phasing in and out of her wolf form quickly, she leapt forward as a wolf and retreated lightly as a human. Running down her middle finger was a stream of blood, as she had cut deep enough in Seifer's face to make a scar, stretching from above his left eyebrow to his right cheek.

"You wait for my order to kill." Seifer, once more in his human form, stared up at her through the blood on his face. "You are excused." Growling, he swept out of the room, hoping to tidy himself up and take out his anger on a small animal stupid enough to roam the afternoon alone. As he scrambled out of the old Victorian house, Ultimecia picked up the gun, and the cowboy's yells were silenced. She settled into her armchair and stared out the window idly as Seifer's howls echoed through the house and around the open prairies.

-POVC-

The world slowly came into focus as Squall pulled open his eyes. Trying to sit up, he noticed that he had switched from outside the inn at dawn, to in his room in the middle of the night. Looking to his right, he saw his arm was more heavily bandaged than it had been before. Trying to move it, a throbbing pain seared through his arm, but as he moved to grab it a smaller hand caught his own.

"Shh…" a female's voice whispered while gently forcing him to lie back again. Squall looked to his left and was surprised yet pleased to see Rinoa in front of him. He feebly squeezed her hand before letting his eyes droop shut again.

"If you keep soothing him, he won't stay awake, you know." Rinoa turned gently to look towards Irvine. He sat in a rough wooden chair that gave him splinters in his sitting-area, but he couldn't move as Selphie was asleep on his lap.

"I know, but I just can't help it," she answered, stroking his bandaged forehead. Irvine looked back and forth at the sleeping Squall and the love-struck Rinoa. He could tell they liked each other… heck, maybe even more. If he just said something… he stopped himself. It was for them to decide, not him, not Selphie, Zell, or Quistis. It was their lives. But… it didn't mean that he couldn't help.

"He probably would have been awake sooner if we hadn't moved him into that stable to rest for a second." Rinoa winced as she remembered the horse kicking him in the head.

"It probably didn't help that you were laughing either, Mr. Perfect," she pointedly stated.

"What can I say? It was funny," he snickered. Sighing, Rinoa gently let Squall's hand drop onto his chest and looked at the bandages circling his arm.

"He should wake up in the morning," Ashimoka said, standing at his doorway. Rinoa beckoned to her and stood before looking back at his peaceful sleeping form.

"Will he be… well, a…"

"No. It doesn't affect an open wound." Ashimoka grinned weakly and rubbed the three scars across her nose. "Spraining his arm saved his life, really." Rinoa heard the loud, rumbling noise that was Irvine's snoring as she sighed again and dropped back into her chair.

"You get some sleep," Rinoa whispered to Ashimoka. The girl quietly obliged, walking down to Rinoa's room and laying on the small cot near the door. Slowly, Rinoa kissed just below Squall's bandage, on his temple, and leaned back in her chair, blowing out the candle. Long after she had fallen asleep, Squall's lips twitched into a smile as he gently opened his eyes. Rinoa was curled up on the chair, her hand dangling down towards the floor. Letting his eyes shut again, he snaked his left hand into hers and drifted back to sleep as a lone, silver wolf with a scar across its face howled to the welcoming moon.

**MUAHAHA! -coughs- Uh, sorry. Anyways, Chapter 15 is up! YEAH! Here are the reviews, and I just had to put in how he got his scar, didn't I? Appropriate title, eh? -laughs evilly again- Ok, reviews, then more suspense till the next chapter! Oh, and Kadaj was my tribute to the long-awaited Advent Children! -jumps about till collapses-**

**Ej- Did that answer it? I couldn't make him a werewolf, he's too cool! Well, not that wolves aren't cool, I mean… oh, forget it. And I shall keep that in mind.**

**Lady-Rinoa- -bows- Thank you very much!**

**Hope Always- Thank you very much, I hope this chapter is as good as you make the rest sound.**

**And… that's it? ACK, my reviewers have left! Please review, I know how much people visit these (yes, I check the hits, I am a nerd) so please review! I can't stand not being told how special this is! Lol, just kidding, but I like reviews, so please! Oh, and in case you were wondering… Seifer: Cuz that interview wasn't that helpful- -beats him down- My werewolves can phase without having to… ahem… drop their clothes. If I said that anywhere, I was wrong. I admit it. And this is what the rune looks like, cuz I was bored and came up with the idea. Enjoy, and please keep reviewing!**

**-Grieverwings**

**P.S. Couldn't wait anymore, Wolf, so sorry:D**


	16. Prophecy

_Chapter 16! Yay, I had this buzzing in my head, so I had to make this chapter, no matter how many people hate it. :D Self confidence, that's the key! -to brother- You're stupid, what's wrong with you? -back to you guys- Anyways, I hope you read and enjoy!_

Chapter 16: Prophecy

The world faded in and out as Squall stood in a flower field. Looking about, he noticed Rinoa standing with her back in front of him. As she began to turn around, a wolf jumped at her, locking his jaws onto her neck. Squall yelled in anger, and rushed to meet him. The monster raised its head, but instead of a wolf's head, there was a man with a scar stretched across. It startled him into stopping as the monster advanced to him, grinning menacingly as it came closer and closer, until the face morphed into his own. Squall cried in anger and collapsed to the ground as his own self attacked him, eyes locked upon the lifeless form of Rinoa on the ground…

"Augh!" he cried, sitting up in the bed. Beads of sweat fell down his forehead as a cold chill surrounded him. His arm still hurt, and it was bandaged more heavily before. Clapping a hand to his forehead, he was surprised to feel a dent through the thick bandages circling his head.

"It's only temporary, you know," a voice said. Squall turned quickly, head aching slightly. Irvine was awake, sitting in a rough wooden chair. Selphie, while having slid down considerably, was still on his lap. Vague memories from the day before were trickling back gently, and Squall rubbed his head, carefully avoiding the dent.

"What are you doing here?" he asked quietly.

"Oh, hanging around, waiting for you to wake up."

"How's the girl?" he asked, glancing about the room.

"She's asleep in Rinoa's room." Rinoa… Turning to the left, he realized that Rinoa was also slumped in a chair, though she was asleep. He stared at her for a second, looking at her features quietly. "Y'know, she stayed with you the whole time," Irvine offered. Squall's head turned back to Irvine's.

"You're here too," he pointed out. Irvine shrugged and looked down at Selphie.

"Oh, really, I couldn't go anywhere anyways." Squall sighed and looked at Rinoa again. She was still in that uncomfortable-looking dress, with her boots on the floor besides the bed. The silver chain still hung from her neck, slowly rising and falling with her chest. "Whew," Irvine wolf-whistled. Squall's head turned so fast his neck almost cricked.

"What?" Irvine laughed, staring at Squall with an amused look in his eyes.

"You're just infatuated, aren't you?" As Squall gave him a look, Irvine smiled inwardly. _Ah, the joys of stoking the flames of love. _"I mean, you stare at her all funny, you're always off in space, you…" Squall tuned him out. Instead, he looked out the window, dawn slowly leaking beyond the mountains. "There you go again!" he called out with glee. Squall looked at him once more.

"Stow it, cowboy."

"Oh, I'm so scared; Mr. Lover-boy is going to kiss me!" Irvine mock-shrieked in terror, pulling his hat down over his ears. At the sound of the shrill voice, Rinoa sat up alarmingly and looked around.

"What on Earth…?" she moaned, glancing about the room. At the first sight of Squall, she jumped, almost knocking the chair over. "You're up!"

"Yeah, we're just having a friendly chat!" Irvine chirruped, looking in amusement at the two. "I'll… be going then," he said, shaking Selphie and pulling her out of the room. Squall rubbed the back of his neck, looking sheepishly anywhere but at Rinoa. Rinoa did the same, until their eyes fell upon each others at the same time.

"Thanks… for staying," Squall said quietly. He feebly looked at his right arm and frowned. Rinoa nodded, and then stood quietly. Squall stared at her, wondering what she would do, before she threw her arms about his neck and began to cry.

"We were all so worried, and we all thought you were going to die! When you hit your head, when you were bitten, when you wouldn't wake up…" she sobbed. Squall simply sat there, stiff as a board. Why was she touching him? She should hate him, shouldn't she?

"Oh… am I interrupting anything?" Their heads turned to see Ashimoka standing at the door. Her scars had healed, showing the three red lines across her nose. Her waist line had filled in a little, after the large dinner they had eaten the night before. Rinoa shook her head and released her hold around his neck. "I've been wondering," she said coolly, curling up on the edge of Squall's bed. "How did she get the wolves inside?"

"The guards…" he whispered. "The guards have disappeared; they must have been the wolves. How many more people that we know are wolves?" Rinoa didn't care to answer it. The three sat, pondering, though Squall and Rinoa had the same question in mind. Finally, Rinoa voiced it.

"Why is she after us?" Ashimoka was at a loss, and the three looked out the window, dreading the worst.

-POVC-

"You've returned." Seifer stepped into the room, falling upon one knee before Ultimecia.

"I was wrong, lady. I should have waited for your command." Ultimecia nodded, and Seifer returned to his regular spot. The scar hadn't faded, as it was redder than when it had first been cut. "Milady," Seifer started questioningly. Ultimecia turned her head and nodded once more. "Why do you want to destroy Leonhart and Heartily?" Ultimecia stood and looked out the window.

"You forget the prophecy?" Seifer shook his head no. "Then you understand."

"But how are we sure it's them? Couldn't it be any couple in this time period."  
"Why? Seifer, must you question me on every detail? You know the prophecy, you know why they are a threat!" she roared. "I MUST HAVE THEM DESTROYED!" Her chest rose and fell as she tried to calm herself, before finally sitting down.

"So, the symbol on his gunblade…?" Seifer further questioned.

"The same," she replied simply. Seifer nodded.

"How is that possible, though? You never…?"

"No," Ultimecia said. "My fool of a sister. Somehow, I neglected to destroy her child, and our family symbol was passed down, apparently." He frowned, and sank further into the armchair. "Eternal Life is very exhausting," Ultimecia whispered. "I am tired. Escort me to my room, Knight." Obliging, he rose and exited the room with her. Behind them, the door shut, allowing a shadow to fall along the giant plate decorated with a lion on the wall. Through the shadows, the single eye visible on the design glowed red.

**Cool, this took me long enough! Enough with the semi-witty banter, read the reviews and leave me alone for another two weeks!**

**jayliyah85- Aw, thank you! Hope you keep reading, thanks again! Aw, I feel loved!**

**Ej- Ha ha, I gave, as J.K. Rowling would put it, "anvil-sized" hints, but I shall not tell until one of the last chapters. -puts up blockade- Start throwing that fruit!**

**Lady-Rinoa- Yay, you're back:D thank you much as well**

**Sammy-Chan- Yes, I said that already. -leaps about- Though I have to say, Reno and Rude are more my speed, Reno makes me laugh so hard. :D**

**ScarredAngelft- Well, yes, I see your point, and thank you for the in-character thing, but come on, he is seventeen. They make him so innocent in the game, like a little kid, but there has to be more things going on in his mind then they say. However, that is one of the things that makes me like Squall so much, his innocence.**

**Wolf- Shut up. -laughs-**

**Okay, I got some reviewers back! YAY! Anyways, I hope that you guys keep reading, enjoy the suspense as I take a well-deserved break from keyboards and CPR dummies, c'ya! **

**P.S. I wrote this a while ago, and I just posted it, I'm sorry. HP4!**


	17. The Extreme

_Alright, this is my 17th chapter; I don't plan on having many more. This is the final showdown, and there'll probably be only a few chapters after this. I'm playing around with an epilogue, or a sequel, but the epilogue thing is what sticks in my mind. I hope you all enjoy what seems to be my longest chapter yet._

Chapter 17: The Extreme

Ultimecia arose from her bed, still fully clothed. Her mind had left her no sleep, being filled with insane visions of that damned boy. He wasn't a gigantic threat, but the longer Griever hung about his neck, the longer he would spell danger for her plan, the one that had lasted nine hundred years. At first, as a child, the prophecy was taken as a children's story. Lord, were they wrong. As the bloodlines went further, so did the prophecy. And now, it was finally going to come true. Ultimecia grinned and left the room. It wasn't going to come true. She would see to that.

"Highness!" a wolf said, bowing profusely.

"Let me pass," she stated, rising to her full height. The wolf stepped to the side, praising the heavens that she hadn't beaten him. Ultimecia barged through, seeing Seifer asleep on the chair. "Awaken," she said, staring at him. Seifer, in response, snored louder and rolled over. Ultimecia sighed.

"Shall I do it, lady?" the wolf from the door asked.

"Oh, no, I'll get him," she responded. A large gust of wind came from Ultimecia's outstretched hand, strong enough to give Seifer a good slap.

"Ow!" he cried sharply, sitting up. "What'd you do that for?" he asked, rubbing his red cheek.

"It's time, my knight. Your jowls shall taste the unworthy flesh." Seifer growled in glee and licked his lips.

"All of them?"

"No. Leonhart's blood is mine. The rest are yours, only." Seifer grinned and instantly transformed into a wolf.

"Right, so when do we leave?"

"Now."

POVC

Squall paced back and forth in his room, under the watchful eyes of Rinoa, Irvine, Selphie, Zell, and Quistis. Undoubtedly, the room was a little cramped, but there was enough room for him to walk from wall to wall, occasionally stopping to pound his fist on the desk or kick something. When he accidentally kicked Quistis's leg, they finally decided to snap him out of his state of mind.

"We're all worried, but you don't have to kill me," she frowned. Squall stopped and frowned back, flopping onto his back on the bed, to the disappointment of Irvine who sat at the end of the bed.

"What are they planning?" he sighed, asking the same question they had worried about all night. Rinoa stood and stared out the window. The redness of the few days before had faded, but still an aura of fear, danger, and something they were missing hung heavily in the air. It didn't make sense… yet it had to.

"Just think," Selphie said, "They could be hiding in every corner, every nook, and every cranny! Wouldn't it be weird if, like, people we knew were werewolves?"

"It wouldn't be weird, it would be frightening," Zell said, staring at her with a look of incredulous pity. Ashimoka walked in, unannounced, and sat inches away from Squall's face. No one really likes other people's butts in their faces, so he sat up and stared at her.

"I couldn't help but overhear your conversation," she began.

"Yeah, right, like you weren't listening!" Selphie crowed. Ashimoka glared at her briefly.

"Anyways, I might know." They all turned to stare at her. "When I was in her private study, but not very often, she would often stare at this plaque she had on the wall. It had that symbol on it!" she cried, pointing at the necklace hanging from Squall's neck. He touched it with one finger, feeling the heat it seemed to radiate.

"Where did it come from, anyways?" Selphie asked, looking at the lion's head with growing interest. Rinoa stared at him, wondering if he would give a bit of his mysterious past.

"I- my mother… she left it for my… dad to give it to me… I didn't even know he was my dad but for a year ago... She died giving birth to me… seventeen years ago…" Without realizing it, he shut his eyes and closed his fist around the necklace tightly. Quickly, Irvine cast around for another subject.

"So, like… what would she want with it? What does it have to do with anything?" As an answer, a huge blast of wind smacked the windows, knocking them into the room, and smashing them against the door. Squall grabbed Rinoa, pushed her head down, and covered her neck with his arm as glass blew around the room with surmounting force. As soon as it was over, Squall stood, hand grappling for his gunblade. At the back, dust and clouds were raised from the wind, blurring two figures enough to make them unrecognizable. The rest of them stood, also staring in the direction Squall was. Grimly, Irvine picked up his gun, Zell put on his gloves, and the rest drew their knives.

"Bravo. You've figured out most of the plan. But now, I'd like to talk to you properly, without having to bend my neck," a taunting voice rang out. Another blast of wind and they were all knocked off their feet, and carried down the two-story building. They landed upright, and Squall got into his "ready-for-battle" position.

"Who are you?" he called. The dust cleared, and there stood Seifer, next to the woman from the bank so long ago.

"I am Ultimecia. The nightmare of nine hundred years." She seemed to create an icicle out of thin air, then let it run up and down her hand. "You have been a thorn in my side for too long. Feel my wrath!" She let the icicles go, and they each flew into Irvine, Selphie, Quistis, and Zell's sides.

"No!" Rinoa cried, and tried to get over to them as they collapsed. Seifer leapt to her with amazing speed and agility, grabbed her arms, and pinned her to his side.

"Don't worry, little girl. It only paralyzed them. At least, you hope." Seifer snickered, and Squall stood upright.

"What did you do?" he cried, and made at her with his gunblade. Ultimecia merely turned, smacking her fist into his face. The crunch of bone sounded, and Squall turned, blood pouring out of his nose. She sent another gust of wind at him, scuttling him across the sand and knocking him off his feet. In turn, he rose to one knee and swiped at her, cutting her upper-left arm. Ultimecia laughed evilly, and raised her right hand. The rune glowed, and the cut was healed. Squall gasped in outrage, and stood stupidly with his gunblade dangling from one hand. She then slid on one knee and sent a final gust at his feet, knocking him onto his back and sending his gunblade several feet away.

"Too easy!" she said, and created iron chains that bound him to the ground. She watched him struggle with a look of pleasure on her face, then scanned him up and down. Without his gunblade, he looked a little small, and defenseless. Rinoa definitely noticed this, and if she did, so would Ultimecia. Her eyes roved from his face, contorted with confusion and rage, to Griever laying on his chest, and rising and falling with his breathing. "Not one of the best likenesses. However, it's kept him alive all these years." Squall stared at her, wishing to wrench her eyes out of their sockets. Then, one thing registered.

"Griever…. Alive?"

"Oh, yes, young one, he lives within his likenesses. I have him currently, in this." She raised her hand and showed the rune once more, finally allowing him to see it properly. As Squall squinted in the sun, he looked into the rune's depths, and it showed something different. The rune was there, yes, and it signified Destiny and Destruction: a sword and a star. But inside, there was a small rune, meaning something he couldn't understand. It was different from those of the other wolves. And, most frightening of all, it bore a strong resemblance to the necklace around Squall's neck.

"I don't… understand…" At this point, Ultimecia seemed to snap.

"How can you not? With your stupid mother being who she was! That necklace is not ordinary! It shows that you are of my sister's line! The noble werewolf line! You have werewolf blood, how do you not understand? I am the LAST pureblood wolf!" She began to pace back and forth, obviously peeved. "A prophecy nine-hundred years ago stated that the last wolf alive would be defeated by one of her own kind, yet not of her kind, wearing the noble lion on his neck. It could only be broken by the prophesized one dying, and then the world would become one with no humans, wiped out for those of worthy blood!" She stopped pacing.

"Mistress…" Seifer began, his grip loosening on Rinoa's arms.

"YOU STAY WHERE YOU ARE!" she yelled. Ultimecia seemed to try and calm herself. "You cannot defeat me, while I hold the one who is meant to help you. GRIEVER, SHOW YOURSELF!" She raised her palm and smiled evilly at Squall. "Nothing can go wrong. Your little girlfriend will watch you die, just as you are now watching your friends die," she whispered, gesturing with her free hand at the limp bodies of Irvine, Quistis, Selphie, and Zell. Even Seifer looked a little uncomfortable at watching slow and steady streams of blood coming out of their bodies. Suddenly, everyone's attentions turned to Ultimecia's palm.

Out of it was rising a gigantic and demonic lion's head. Squall gasped as the rest of the creature pulled itself out of the hand, screaming in pain. It had a lion's body, beaten and battered angel's wings, horns, and a demon's tail. It certainly wasn't how he had expected it.

"Griever, attack!" Ultimecia cried, and the monster looked at Squall. It had frightening eyes… cold, sad, yet with an icy fire burning inside. It raised its head and tried to roar, but what came out was a deafening scream. Squall's body seemed to rise into the air; he felt no ground around him. Nothing felt right anymore. Then, an electric shock ran from his hands into his chest. At the same time, millions of others ran from different parts of his body. Pain beyond pain, Squall stretched out his limbs, the chains gone, and writhed in agony. On the ground, Rinoa turned closed her eyes and turned away, tears slowly spilling from her eyes.

"Squall…" she sobbed, leaning against her captive's arms. In surprise, Seifer let her go, watching her fall to the ground. She stuck out her hands, and lay kneeling on the ground, crying. Finally, Squall was released, and fell to the ground with a sickening crunch. His eyes were wide open but not really seeing, and still shaking from the extreme pain.

"Griever won't help you," Ultimecia cooed, watching him with a look of malevolent glee. "Your mother's blood can't help you. Your human father can't help you. Your friends can't help you. Die knowing that I have won." Without another word, Griever raised several feet above Squall, a single claw out to pierce his heart. Just before he made to move, Squall's eyes came back into focus, and he turned his head slightly to look at Rinoa. Seifer seemed in shock, until he finally snapped back into consciousness.

"Ultimecia, stop! The prophecy has no matter, when I agreed to join you it was for protection, but this is just…"

"Silence, fool! You agreed for protection from humans and for glory, in exchange for serving me! You have killed before; you shouldn't be bothered by this!" Seifer seemed cowed, and slunk back a few paces. "You were bitten when you were a child, this is your destiny!" she cried. As this was going on, Rinoa slid closer to Squall until she was right next to him.

"Squall…" she whispered, putting a hand on his sweaty cheek. One of his hands shook gently as he raised it to cover hers, smiling gently.

"Griever, attack!" Ultimecia cried again, and Griever rose to altitudes very high, then came plummeting down, told by Ultimecia to cause Squall as much dying pain as possible. He got closer and closer, hundreds of feet flew by in seconds. When Squall could just barely see the monster's teeth, he smiled gently at Rinoa again. She was surprised to see a tear running down his face, and felt hers running down her own face.

"I love you," he whispered, before pushing her away and bracing himself for death. The claw stopped inches from Squall's heart and the entire monster shattered as if made out of glass.

"What?" Ultimecia howled, and looked about her, until her right hand began to glow. The emblem of Griever on her hand was fading, as Squall's necklace grew brighter. Squall felt his strength returning as he rose to his knees. Almost as if by magic, his gunblade flew into his hand and he stood.

"What's… going on?" he whispered, as a shadowy figure stood in front of him. It slowly came into focus, until it was the shape of a woman sitting on a winged lion's back. The woman stood, then walked to Squall.

"My son," it whispered, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You have the strength to carry on our line. With Griever's help, vanquish your enemies." She placed a kiss on his forehead, then faded out, though the lion padded to Squall's side.

"Griever?" he whispered, placing a hand on the lion's head as it purred.

"This is impossible!" Ultimecia whispered, staring at her palm. As she wasn't paying attention, Squall and Griever leapt into action, Squall slicing at her arm while Griever went for her throat. She quickly deflected them, then used her right hand to heal the small cut the gunblade had made. Rinoa stood off to the side, watching with growing amazement. Quickly, Ultimecia threw Griever off to the side, then sent gusts of wind and ice at Squall, knocking him onto his rear end.

"EVEN WITH GRIEVER," she screamed, "YOU ARE NO MATCH FOR ME!" She raised her right hand as an icicle began to grow, but was surprised by a small group of wolves howling at her. It was an odd group, one white, one brown, one yellow. Then Squall realized that the white one had the markings that Seifer had. "Seifer… what?" Ultimecia paused.

"Too late, Ultimecia!" Seifer snarled. "You've gone too far this time! We won't stand for it!"

"AFFIRMATIVE!" called the yellow wolf Squall now knew was Fujin.

"You can't turn back, ya know?" Raijin, the brown, called. Ultimecia howled herself, then raised her hand and sent an icicle at Seifer, hitting home straight in his chest. Seifer recoiled slightly, then began to run towards her. She stepped back, amazed.

"You should be dead!" she screamed, raising her right hand again, then screamed unearthly-like as Seifer flew by her, leaving a stream of blood. He had bitten off her right hand. Squall took this point, as she howled in pain, to run his gunblade straight through her chest. The world grew dark as the unearthly scream resounded off of nothing and yet everything. Several seconds of uncertainty, then the world grew light. They were in the middle of the town, with Seifer laying to the side as Raijin and Fujin sat besides him, trying to heal his wound, and his friends, Irvine, Zell, Selphie, and Quistis were sitting up, dizzy with blood loss, but alive. Griever was gone, but his necklace was shining a bright blue.

"Squall!" Rinoa cried, throwing herself toward him. Just in time, Squall turned around and enveloped her in a gigantic embrace. He stroked her hair gently, happy to be alive, and happy to be with her. She nestled her head onto his shoulder, trying to block out everything else. Ultimecia was gone. Windows began to open, people began to look outside, and it was dead silent for a time, until one child began to cheer. The two stopped short their hug and looked around the town, where an eruption had begun. The entire town was applauding their heroic deed. Suddenly, the pain that had subsided during Griever's strength from the shockwave came back, and Squall fell to the ground, twitching and writhing. His world went dark as Rinoa's face hung over his, mouthing unintelligible words as the town went into pandemonium. There would be another time for him to receive their applause and cheers. Right now, he needed the rest that had been denied him for so long. As he felt himself being carried to the make-shift hospital, he knew that he wouldn't die. Rinoa was there, his friends were alive, and his mother and Griever were protecting him. He was safe for now. Reassured, Squall let go of the last of his consciousness and fell into a dreamless sleep.

**Well now! What did you all think? This was the longest, and in my opinion, best chapter I've written! I hope the fight scenes were okay, and that everything was in place. -crosses toes- Reviews, then I am taking a well-deserved break before the last couple chapters. It's almost CHRISTMAS! And Kwanza and Hanukah, for those who celebrate those. -grins-**

**EJ- If that wasn't explanation enough for Seifer's motives, wait for the epilogue or the next chapters. I hope you like this one too, you've been really supportive, and everyone else too!**

**Verdanii- You've got some… interesting views. No, I don't think I'm going to put Seifer/Zell stuff in this one…. That's really just nasty. -grins- Thanks for your support!**

**Lady Rinoa- How'd you like it? Thank you for supporting me as well, I'm very glad that this is such a success! It will be over soon, though, but look for my next story!**

**Speaking of which, my next story will be another Final Fantasy one, but from Seifer's point of view, so if you guys are interested, I hope you'll check it out! I'll put it out sometime around New Years. I will update sooner than I did this time around, and I hope everyone will LOVE IT! Toodles!**

**-Grieverwings**

**P.S. A good song to listen to while you read this is System of a Down's "When Angels Deserve to Die". ;D Just suggesting!**


	18. Dreaming

_God, one of the last chapters. I really can't believe it! Again, thank you ALL for supporting me; I didn't get a single bad review! You guys have all been awesome, and I hope you'll stick with me as the madness continues in my Seifer story (not telling title yet -coughcough-)! Everyone rocks, to put it in short. Y'all put up with me, even when I rambled or when I had no idea where the story was going. Okay, enough mush, and let's get on with the show! (Then again, mush is what you came for, huh?)_

Chapter 18: Dreaming

The room was dark, quiet, and very, very full. Squall had just sat up in a small and sterile hospital bed, glancing about him. To his right was Selphie, curled up in a ball and sucking her thumb, and Irvine, staring up at the ceiling with his legs crossed. To his left was Zell, snoring at an incredible volume, and Quistis, sleeping naturally and quietly. He calculated fuzzily, he had been given something that had dimmed his thinking. It seemed to have been just a few hours, or a day. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary... except that he was in a hospital gown!

"What the?" he cried, leaping out of bed and staring angrily at the garb he was in. Irvine turned his head quickly and grinned.

"Seen your new look?" he snickered. Squall frowned at him, then attempted to pull it further down. Irvine kept quietly chuckling. "Don't let Rinoa see you in that! Oh, really," he said, watching Squall give him an evil glare, "it's not that bad. As soon as you heal up, you can get your weirdo regular clothes back." Squall frowned again, then crawled back into his bed and pulled the covers up to his neck.

"I hate you," he muttered, and Irvine chuckled again.

"Thanks, me too." He sighed again and stared at the ceiling.

"How long've we been here?" he asked. Irvine shrugged.

"A day or so." He grinned. "You're pretty good at getting knocked out."

"Shut up," Quistis murmured. "You can admire your damned dresses later, just shut up and let people who are tired get some sleep!" A high-pitched giggle was heard, and Zell mumbled a quiet "Whazzagoinon?" It was now clear that everyone was awake.

"What are you guys doing up?" Selphie asked, decked out in her own hospital gown.

"Dunno, I was awake, then he woke up," Irvine said, shrugging. "What are you doing up?"

"A certain random _someone_ couldn't bother to shut up while we were _sleeping?_" Quistis snapped.

"Well, we all learned something," Zell said. Everyone turned to look at him. "Quistis gets really pissed if you wake her up while she's sleeping." He got hit in the head with a pillow, thrown by none other than Quistis. All of them laughed, including Squall, surprising himself and the others.

"What's going on here?" a motherly woman snapped, standing in the doorway. She wore a long dress, not unlike the hospital gowns, and had a very large and unusual hat on her head. "You all should be asleep; wounds need to heal for more than a day!" With no apparent reaction of horror from her patients, she continued: "You'll wake the others, and they need sleep as well!"

"Others?" Squall asked, one of the many questions he had in mind, such as: "Why am I in a dress?" "Who put me in this dress?" "What the HELL do you have on your head?"

"Yes, the young ladies and other gentleman; he needs quite a bit of rest! Icicle to the chest, wonder hit didn't kill him!" she clucked, turning around. Squall was quite irritated now.

"_What_ young ladies? _What _other gentleman?" he forced through his teeth.

"The only girls here besides Miss Sunshine and Pinky and the boy in the white; do you need a full-body description?" she snapped, turning around at the sound of quiet footsteps.

"No, he doesn't, he'll get it soon." Behind the woman was a small, thin figure in a thin white nightgown. Her long, scraggly hair fell down to her waist, and her body still looked pinched and thin. "We're all right, I'm sorry." The nurse frowned and walked, no, waddled out as Ashimoka took her usual place at the foot of Squall's bed.

"You're here too?" he asked. She shrugged.

"Well, I have no place to go except to hang with you guys!" She smiled and rubbed the scars across her nose. "We're three of a kind, now!" Squall frowned again.

"Three?"

"Yeah, me, you, and Seifer!" Squall jumped half a foot.

"Seifer? That sorry bastard?"

"He's not a bad guy!" Ashimoka explained, leaping off his bed. "He's just in the other room!"

"I'll kill him," Squall said, pulling back the covers, but from a snort of laughter from Ashimoka he slid back in. "You're lucky I can't get out," he glared at her. She kept laughing until she was on the ground clutching her stomach.

"OH, REALLY!" the matron-ly woman cried. "GET SOME SLEEP!"

"I'm with her," Quistis growled. Squall grinned and rolled over.

"Get to bed, Ashimoka. And keep away from Seifer!" he said, closing his eyes though not quite falling asleep. He felt the weight on his bed shift, and he sighed quietly. The sounds of muffled breathing and turning soothed him. Though he wished to stay up and think about current events, he fell asleep anyways. It was quiet, and for the first time in years, the night was not pierced by a werewolf's howl.

The morning brought a quiet cheerfulness as Irvine sat up. Quistis was gone, and so was Selphie. Zell was standing in the middle of the room, doing things he called "exercise", but what Irvine called "a doctor's bill waiting to happen". In the middle of a painful looking stretch, he paused.

"Sup? Everyone's at Town Hall. I tried waking him up," he pointed at Squall, "but he just woke up long enough to pull on his clothes and crawl back in bed. Even Rinoa tried, but he's just zonked." He laughed again, then started out. "You'll probably have better luck." Irvine grinned, then left briefly to pull on his clothes.

"Mmphhhhhh," Squall murmured, rolling over. Irvine walked back in and smiled evilly.

"Wake up, there's a scorpion crawling on your face!" he crowed. Squall leapt out of bed and smacked himself in the face. Irvine rolled on the floor laughing, his cowboy hat falling unceremoniously onto the floor. As soon as they had both calmed down, Squall got dressed and picked up his gunblade.

"So at Town Hall?"

"Yeah, you wouldn't believe the crowd; you can see 'em from all the way down here!" Irvine laughed, stowing his gun in his cloak. "We'd better go; they sent the announcement about a half-hour ago!" Squall sighed and walked to the door, passing a room with the door firmly shut. As soon as Irvine pulled open the front door, Rinoa came hurtling through, smacking into him and glancing backwards.

"Oh…" she panted, "You… two are… awake!" She clutched at her chest, trying to breathe. "They're… starting in five… minutes… we'd better… get down there…"

"We're not running," Squall grinned. "Catch your breath. We'll go when you're ready."

"Uh, actually…" Irvine started, pushing past Rinoa to the door with a smirk on his face, "I'm leaving now. Can't be late, y'know. See ya!" he cried, sprinting down the road. "Oh, sh-" he snapped, gun banging loudly against his foreleg. Squall grinned.

"Well… you okay?" he asked. Rinoa shrugged and grinned back.

"I'll… live." She began to breathe regularly again, and straightened up. "I feel okay now. Shall we go?" she asked, turning around. Squall nodded quietly and shut the door behind them, setting off at a slow pace.

"So… Seifer lived?" Squall asked nervously. It was too quiet, too… alone. Rinoa nodded wordlessly and stopped briefly. Squall kept walking, until he realized that she was several feet behind him. Turning to face her, he motioned towards the center of the town. "We should get going. Are you feeling- urk!" he stopped as Rinoa grabbed him round the neck and hugged tightly. "You're… squeezing…"

"You're okay, I always knew you would be! But that doesn't keep me from being frightened!" she sobbed, pulling tighter. "You pushed me out of the way when Griever was attacking! You told me… y'know, and I never repaid you! You've saved me so many times… I can't thank you enough!" Squall sighed and awkwardly patted her head.

"It's… uh, okay. You're fine." Rinoa sniffled a little and nodded, letting go and trying to regain her bouncy self-order.

"So, shall we go?" she tried to grin, flushing a little bit. Squall nodded, and they regained walking, quietly. They were distanced, not too close, yet not too far. _Oh, thank God she let go of me…_ Squall thought to himself. _I was worried she wasn't going to let me go… Wait, was I sympathetic enough? What if she hates me now? Why am I so stupid? _Squall kept walking, mumbling to himself, not even noticing the impending doom approaching him. "Squall, watch out!" he heard, and looked up, just in time to see himself walk right into the end of a podium and flop onto the edge of the stage, much to the amusement of Zell and Selphie. They were already in the town center, and Squall had just crash landed onto the stage where the ceremony was taking place. The entire crowd was silent, watching Squall lay there like a slug, absolutely bewildered. Finally, Rinoa hopped onto the stage and pulled him to his feet, face screwed up as if she was caught between laughing and frowning. As soon as he rose, there was more awkward silence, until…

"The great champions of our town!" the mayor shouted uncertainly, as if it was impossible that the klutz standing in front of him had saved the town from the wolves. Almost instantly, the crowd cheered in approval as Squall rubbed the red spot forming on his cheek where he had flopped onto the stage. Quistis smiled sheepishly, Selphie jumped up and down (shaking the whole stage), and Zell put on his bad boy attitude. Only Irvine didn't seem to react to the applause, standing quietly and leaning on his gun.

"Three cheers for the warriors!" a young girl cried out, grinning slightly. When Squall looked closer, he saw it was Ashimoka. The entire town rung out in joyous cheers, and a few little children added their own shouts, such as "Hallelujah", "Amen", and "Heep, heep, hooway!"

"These brave heroes had the courage to go up against the one controlling how the werewolves acted! They were brave and smart…" Squall tuned out slightly, looking around at the crowd. There were only three familiar faces: Ashimoka, the old fat guy from the inn, and… Squall started slightly and peered harder. At the back, hair graying slightly, stood his father, Laguna Loire. He gave his son a thumbs up, grinning in that way only Laguna could. "…And so," the mayor continued, "We, the city, award you with these medals!" Another wave of cheers and applause broke through. "For Irvine Kinneas!" he cried, motioning for him to step forward. As soon as he was up front, he took off his hat and bowed slightly, so that the 5' mayor could reach his 6' length.

"Irvine, the Valliant!" the mayor crowed, placing it about his neck. Irvine grinned and stuck his hat back on his head, stepping backwards as Selphie stepped forwards. "Selphie, the Courageous!" the mayor said, easily slipping the chain around her head. "Quistis, the Wise!" "Zell, the Bold!" Finally, the four stood backwards, grinning at each other and their new medals. Now, the mayor put on a completely different tone.

"These next three are the most important. They were the ones who defeated Ultimecia, and her band of werewolves. First is Lady Rinoa Caraway, daughter of the late General Caraway. Her father was lost to the wolves a little more or less than a few weeks ago. She played an important part, though not a battler. From what I've heard, she is the one who gave the others the strength to fight." He pulled out a large medallion and placed it around her neck. "Lady Rinoa, the Life. The Life of these people, this young man included." He smiled at Squall. "The life of their will to battle." Rinoa nodded and stepped backwards slightly, shying away from the crowd.

"Seifer Almasy." The crowd whispered slightly, and Squall's eyes narrowed. A cowed looking and quiet Seifer slowly dragged himself onstage, bandages circling his chest. His overcoat dragged on the ground as he clenched his teeth from the pain. "Yes, he is a werewolf. But it was he that made it possible for Ultimecia to die. For that, I award you this medal." Instead of having him wear it, he held it high for all to see, then placed it in his hand. "Seifer, the Strong. You are what made this town's peace possible. In front of everyone, I wish to let it be known that you are welcome in this town. You are the first werewolf we will accept, along with your friends. May we live in peace together." Seifer nodded, then collapsed onto the stage. The matron woman ran onto the stage, still wearing her ridiculous hat, and hauled him off the stage. It made Squall wonder about him. _It must have taken his last strength, to climb up on the stage,_ Squall thought.

"Finally, Sir Squall Loire." Squall stepped forward slightly. "You were the victor. You defeated her. You plunged your blade through her heart. For that, the entire town thanks you. Your medal says something different. Rinoa here helped me inscribe it." Rinoa sheepishly smiled. "It says… here, you read it." Squall peered at it, eyes widening slightly.

"Squall, the Lion, the Griever. Squall, the Leonhart." He smiled at Rinoa, then put it on. "Thank you," he whispered, looking with pride at Ashimoka and his father.

"Our heroes!" the mayor yelled, to a roar of approval from the crowd.

"Mayor Deiling," the matron began, hoisting Seifer to his feet and supporting him. For an old woman, she was strong. "Almasy needs to get back to the wing. He's tired."

"Oh, yes, of course. Just a moment." He turned to the others and whispered. "The rest is mainly town-based. You can leave if you want," he said. Squall nodded.

"Of course," he said. Together, they walked off the stage, leaving the crowd murmuring in quiet amusement.

"I can't believe Squall made a fool of himself in public!" Zell laughed, walking along with the air of one who just was crowned king of Spain.

"Yeah, usually it's your job," Squall snapped to the amusement of Selphie.

"Hey… hey guys, wait up!" a voice called. Soon, Ashimoka came puffing up to them, hands on her knees in exhaustion. "You guys did well, we're proud of you."

"We?" To answer Quistis's question, Squall's father meandered up to the group, hand rubbing the back of his neck. He stood awkwardly, almost as if he had half a mind to run in the opposite direction. After several moments of slight anxiety and tension, he raised his eyes to look at Squall, light green eyes lacking their usual glint. He smiled slightly, then looked away again.

"Squall," he said, the grey hairs glinting in the sun, "you… you looked like your mother, up there on the platform. She… would have been proud." Squall's necklace seemed to twitch as if in agreement as Squall glared at Laguna. Their eyes met, one pair fiery, the other looking as though their fire had been extinguished long ago. Finally, Squall smiled.

"Yeah. She is." Almost beside himself, Laguna grabbed his only son in a hug, tears rolling out of his eyes. The others turned away, pretending they hadn't seen them and didn't feel that fuzzy thing people get when they feel happy. It could have been a year before Laguna let go, but Squall didn't notice nor would have cared. He had a father. The one thing he had lacked for seventeen years. Irvine coughed.

"I'm heading back to my town," Laguna said, letting go of Squall. "Are you… going to come?" Squall looked 'round at his friends, all looking apprehensive, and his eyes finally rested on Rinoa. She was smiling, though in a sort of forced way, as though she was dreading his answer.

"I- I can't." Laguna looked from him, to Rinoa and nodded, smiling.

"I understand perfectly." Grinning at the rest of them, Laguna scratched at his head gently. "Keep in touch, all right?" They nodded, Squall smiling so much Irvine thought his face would crack. "But…" he continued, "where will you stay if you're here? I need to have an address to send letters to, right?" Squall thought hard for a moment.

"I could just… stay at the inn." Rinoa looked at him, weighing her options before finally stepping forward.

"Ever since… my father died, I have that house a few miles out. It has tons of extra rooms, and… I'd like it if you came and stayed. Provided anyone else has a suggestion…?" she quickly finished.

"Oh, no, no room with me," Zell said quickly.

"Sunk," Selphie laughed.

"Please, my room can hardly fit me!" Quistis said. The rest were resounding no's, accompanied with several sniggers at their devious plans. Laguna grinned again, eyes regaining their malicious glint.

"Well, it's settled then." He walked off into the stable and came back on a brown horse. "I'll send you a letter soon. Bye!" he called, riding off toward the exit. Squall watched him leave, a small smile on his face.

"Hey, come on," Irvine said, putting a hand on Squall's shoulder. "Let's go see Rinoa's house."

"I'll go get your stuff!" Selphie said, Quistis and Zell following her into the inn. Irvine and Ashimoka ducked into the shadows, leaving Rinoa and Squall alone.

"I should… go get Angelo," Rinoa muttered, starting to walk away. Squall grabbed her wrist, pulling her closer.

"Not yet. Thank you… for everything," he whispered. Finally, they kissed, and fireworks erupted in the sky as they erupted in their hearts. Everything was right with the world. Squall had to thank the werewolves and Ultimecia. If it hadn't been for her, he would never have met Rinoa._ I guess that's what we are…_ Squall thought. _We're the Children of Fate._ Almost like an echo, a lion's roar bounded across the plains, harmonizing with a wolven howl.

**Well… all I can say is thank you. You guys stuck with me, and it's thanks to you and this story that I've grown as an author. If I could, I'd hug you guys. Reviews, then I'm going to move on to the epilogues and this story will be completed. Amazing that I lasted this long… I have you guys to thank!**

**Hope Always- Yay for the end, right? I'm glad everyone loved the last chapter, I had so much fun writing it!**

**EJ- Not quite. Seifer's a good guy in his heart, and watching Irvine and the gang bleed to death brought that out in him. He would have survived, because there were no pure-blood wolves left. Thanks for sticking with this story!**

**Verdanii- Thanks. I… I'm not sure about the Squall's mom comment… but hey, you make me laugh, that's a good thing. Thanks!**

**Lady Rinoa- Your comments kept this story going, thank you guys all SO much!**

**Kitsu- He's okay! He'll make apperances in the epilogues, too!**

**It's not quite over, I still have the epilogues to do! There will be two versions of the END end. One will take place in the west, the other in a modernized setting. I hope you all read it, then transfer over to my next fic when I get them up!**

**LONG LIVE SQUINOA FLUFF!**

**Grieverwings**


	19. Epilogues

'_Tis here! The epilogue! Anyway, I'm really proud of my success with this story, and am really sad to see it end. But, with every closed door, another one opens. I've found that my favorite subject in fan-fiction is FF8, so expect a lot more weirdness or fluffy stuff from me. Okay, if you hadn't read it, this is split into two epilogues. If you'd rather for a fluffy ending in the PAST, read the second one. If you'd like a fluffy ending in the PRESENT, read the first one, or just read both! Alas, you can't escape from the fluff. No one who reads this can escape from the fluff._

_I don't own Albertsons or Starbucks, or anything else in this fanfiction. -sighs- I would like to own Starbucks, though. FREE COFFEE!_

Epilogue 1: Albertsons

Rinoa smiled as she watched Squall. Having left him at the counter of Starbucks while she and the others went shopping in different aisles, she had now arrived to see his nose buried in a book. It wouldn't have been quite as funny if it had been a normal book. Heck, Selphie wouldn't be taping it if it wasn't remotely funny. No, the book Squall was so intently reading was a romance book.

Quite honestly, bringing them all to Albertsons had been a mistake. You couldn't really trust Zell in the beverage section, nor Irvine and Selphie in the bakery section. Thus, it had taken great precision to send everyone to the right lanes. Rinoa had gone into the bakery section, picking up a cake for Zell's birthday. Irvine and Selphie had gone into the pet-food section for Angelo, Zell to pick up vegetables, Quistis, who could be trusted anywhere, really, had gone to pick up more Dr. Pepper (Squall's favorite drink), and Squall had been given the easy task of getting Starbucks coffee for their energy. The woman who was supposed to be giving them their coffee was staring at him in dismay, the six cups of Starbucks lying unattended.

"He doesn't even notice us!" Selphie whispered, moving to get a better angle at the book he was reading. She was using the video camera she hadn't even left at home ever since she had gotten that tape of the party. In the meanwhile, Squall was fascinated. How could someone combine such a vulgar subject with such amazing writing? He had been reading for the past hour or so, and the weird thing was… he had been replacing the names with the names of people he had known. He wasn't doing it on purpose, it just… happened. And, of course, Squall was unaware of the others watching him in amusement. That is… until Rinoa alerted him as such.

"Squall? You can put the book down, we got the stuff." He was reading the last page, he couldn't be bothered! Then… he realized where he was.

"Holy God!" he snapped, sitting up and throwing the book far away. Selphie began laughing her butt off, camera shaking intensely. The sales woman, noticing the camera for the first time, walked to her and flicked off the screen.

"No filming allowed."

"It's okay, I got the good stuff!" she laughed, slipping it back into its case (which hung from a belt around her waist). Squall picked up some of the coffee and walked away, looking unbelievably embarrassed. Leaving the others to head to the car, Rinoa held Squall back, arms filled with groceries.

"You okay?" she asked him.

"Yeah… yeah, I just… err… I… you know, I…" Rinoa laughed and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"It's okay; I won't hold it against you." Squall smiled, then stopped before they walked across the street. "Squall?"

"I'll… be right back." Disappearing back into Albertsons, he walked up to the car five minutes later, a parcel wrapped under his arm. "Okay, let's go."

"FIIINALLY! You guys take forever, what were you buying?" Seifer yelled, sitting in the driver's seat. Normally Squall would protest, as Seifer could never be trusted in a driver's seat, but something else was on his mind. The absurdity of it was slightly annoying, yet… well, he didn't need to prove it to himself. He knew Rinoa understood him, and that was enough. Though, he never would know why he had changed the name of the girl from "Serra" to "Ashimoka". Maybe it had something to do with Starbucks…

Fin

Epilogue Two: Two Years Later

Squall paced back and forth, the beginnings of a beard growing in on his face. He had been awake for three days straight; nothing seemed to be going right. Currently in Rinoa's… his… house, were Seifer, scar still visible across his nose, Irvine, looking the same as ever, Laguna, whose hair was even more speckled with grey, and Zell, asleep on the couch. They, however, were not looking as… disheveled as he did, except for Laguna, who looked as though he was going to be sick.

"She's been in there forever!" Squall said finally, stopping and staring at the others. Irvine shrugged, Zell snored, Laguna didn't do anything, and Seifer stood up.

"It takes a while, you know," he said, going to stand by a window. "Imagine how it was for a werewolf. All that fur… they come out wolfen, you know."

"Oh, how would you know?" Squall snapped, running a hand through his hair. "It's not like, before you came back, that you could have convinced anyone to…" At a look from Seifer, Squall's eyes widened. "Oh… then?"

"Died," Seifer said simply, turning his face back to the window. "And the little monster with her." Squall's eyes were downcast, he looked almost cowed.

"Ohhh!" Laguna moaned, putting his head in his hands. "I can't stand it! I have to go in there!"

"No!" Irvine said, sitting up sharply. All were startled by his outburst, but not as startled as Irvine was himself. "It'll only worry her, or cause Selphie and Quistis to screw up. Besides, I'm sure everything is fine."

"It is," Ashimoka said, stepping into the room with a bit of a smile on her face. She brushed something off her skirt that spattered onto the floor; it looked something like blood. Squall shivered, not really wanting to know what was going on in that room yet needing to.

"Is she…?" he asked, heart trembling. Ashimoka nodded, the smile still gracing her face. Ever since two years ago, she had grown to a young woman and had filled out quite a bit, but the three scars were still visible, same as Seifer's.

"Perfectly fine, though in a bit of pain. 'S good that your dad brought that medicine. If we didn't have it, she'd be in much more pain." Squall nodded and flung himself onto a couch, rubbing the spot between his eyes.

"Personally, I can't believe it," Irvine said, smiling. "You," he laughed, "you're the last person I'd ever expect to be a-" He was then interrupted by a shrill cry, startling Squall enough to make him jump up.

"Rinoa!" he said, attempting to walk into the back room, but was stopped by an arm, thrust in front of him.

"Don't, Squall." Seifer's face looked deadly serious, more serious than anyone had seen it in two years. Two years… so much had changed… enemies turned to friends… love grew… people grew. "You'll startle her. That's what happened to… anyway, just don't. Quistis and Selphie will come get us when we can go in." Squall looked at his friend and sighed, flopping back down onto the couch.

"I just can't leave her in there on her own." Laguna looked at Squall and smiled, eyes looking watery. Squall could only hope that he wasn't going to start crying on him. He felt his body reverberate, almost as though something very large and very loud was deep inside him, purring. After even more waiting, something came from the back room: cries, mostly. There was a cry of pain, a cry of happiness, several shrieks, and… what? A shrill, louder cry, with a tint of hunger to it. Everyone's heads raised as Zell snorted and sat up.

"Is it?" Laguna said, his voice high-pitched and squeaky. After minutes of waiting that felt like years, Quistis emerged from the back room, looking clean, yet bedraggled. She must have washed up before coming out, which Squall was grateful for. Seifer walked up to her, a look of worry on his face.

"Well?" he said, looking almost more apprehensive than Squall. Quistis smiled, circles outlining her eyes as well.

"They're both fine. Rinoa's really tired, she's almost asleep." She turned to Squall, her smile looking a bit more faded from lack of sleep. "You can go in." He smiled at her, before carefully treading down the hallway and into their room. Inside was Selphie, collapsed on a chair, asleep, and Rinoa, lying in the center of the bed. She looked as tired as the rest of them did, but even more so. Her eyes were half-open, smiling vaguely at a little bundle that lay in her arms. The instant she saw Squall, her eyes misted over, the chocolate brown blurred by the haze of tears threatening to fall.

"Squall…" she whispered, her free hand reaching out to him. He felt his eyes mist over as well, seeing the little bundle stir and tiny flesh-colored sticks poked out of the blanket. "He's a boy." She handed the blankets to Squall, who caught sight of a small baby, black hair and grey eyes shining. "Okkoto," Rinoa whispered. Squall looked surprised.

"Are you sure? That's an… eccentric name, isn't it?" Squall asked, looking at the baby in his arms.

"Yes… it feels right, you know?" Squall smiled at her, laying the baby… Okkoto… next to her and giving her a light kiss on the lips.

"Sleep. The baby is in good hands." Rinoa smiled at him again and obligingly closed her eyes, falling into a deep sleep. He picked up the baby again, a swelling in his heart that he couldn't really explain… it was sort of familiar to the feeling he had had on his and Rinoa's wedding day a year ago.

"Where is he?" Laguna asked, springing to his feet and running to observe the bundle in Squall's arms. Irvine, Zell, and Seifer followed suit, marveling at the tiny child. Squall handed the baby to his grandfather, leaving Laguna's face to split with delight. He left the baby in hopefully good hands… almost having regrets of leaving him with the incompetent elderly man that was his father… He stepped outside, the rolling prairies winking merrily at him. So many feelings ran through him at once… love, confusion, maybe even… fear?

"Hey," a voice said. Squall turned, to see Seifer walk out. "Something wrong?" he asked, standing next to Squall and scratching his ear like a wolf would, but with his hand instead of his foot.

"I… don't understand anymore. I-" Seifer sighed; they still didn't look at each other, gazes focused on the distant mountains.

"You don't have to understand," he snapped. "I didn't. I was proud of her… of us… of our baby. It's this flood of emotions. Love, wonder, and confusion. I didn't understand it until… she died. Then I felt it all over again, with a new emotion. Pain. It was part of the reason that I became Ultimecia's right hand man. Wolf," he corrected himself with the shadow of a grin. "I became heartless…. I wanted protection from Ultimecia, at first… and then I lost her and our child; my heart was torn out and I stopped caring… and then… when I saw you and Rinoa, I… something triggered inside of me. I changed." Squall nodded, turning to face Seifer.

"Thank you. I… don't have to understand. I see that now." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. How welcome his bed would be right now… "I'm tired; will you make sure Laguna doesn't drop Okkoto?" Seifer looked surprised, and then he smiled.

"Of course. Sleep well, my friend." They smiled at each other, until Squall walked into the back room and slid into the bed behind Rinoa. Wrapping his arms around her, he smiled gently, inhaling the scent of her hair. He wasn't worried anymore. He had his wife, beautiful son, friends, a father… a perfect beginning to a perfect ending. As he drifted off to sleep, a last thought ran through his head: _What will come, will come… and I'll just have to meet it when it does._

Fin

**Kitsu- Pacd du oy too!**

**Lady Rinoa- Thanks for your compliments; I'm sure this was sappy enough.**

**Sammy Chan- Smiles all around! I'm glad it's finished… though sad at the same time.**

**Ej- What's Naria? I… hope that was a compliment? XD**

**darkrose76- -is pretending she isn't horrified by your lack of grammar- Uhm… thank you? XD**

**The first one was more intended to make people laugh, as I can't really picture Squall reading a romance book. -pauses- HE SKIPPED THE NAUGHTY PARTS, OKAY? -coughs- Anyway, I feel like Seifer and Squall… confoozled. Sad that it's over… yet happy that I no longer have the stress of attempting to finish this story. Now I'll have another story on my mind. You weren't expecting Rinoa to have a baby, were you? -grins- I'm full of surprises. I hope you all migrate to my next story; I'll miss you guys if you're not there.**

**Best wishes,**

**Grieverwings**

**Afternote: I wrote this a while ago, and decided to post it today. Another game gone… -sighs- I hate the ending to FFX. Makes me sad… anyway, just to clear things up so people aren't eewwwy like, they cleaned the sheets before Squall sat on them, mmkay? Spankies. It was like a custom back in the old west (yes, I researched this, I'm a nerd that way). Before midwives let anyone see the baby, they had the mother stand up so they could clean the sheets. No mother wants to lay in a nasty bed. I sure as heck wouldn't.**


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